Lebanon has hopped on the bandwagon, banning import of an Egyptian fruit: The Lebanese Agriculture Ministry has reportedly imposed restrictions on imports of Egyptian mangoes, sources close to the matter tell AMAY. Egyptian exporters are lobbying for the measure to be postponed, saying they can produce paperwork proving their produce meets international benchmarks. Iraq imposed import restrictions on Egyptian produce this week, and GCC countries have done the same this year. The news came on the heels of word that Egypt’s Agriculture Ministry signed off yesterday on a new strategy meant to boost and ensure the quality of agricultural products slated for export, according to Al Shorouk.

Meanwhile, despite import restrictions imposed by Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Kuwait and hepatitis A concerns, Egyptian strawberry exports rose 30% y-o-y in 1H2017 to 41.4k tonnes, up from 31.8k tonnes during the same period last year, Agriculture Ministry spokesperson Hamid Abdel Dayem said, according to Al Borsa. The UAE has also banned imports of Egyptian strawberries.