Saudi to lift strawberry, pepper import ban in a few days? The Agriculture Ministry has received word from Saudi authorities that they would lift the ban on imports of Egyptian peppers and strawberries in a few days’ time, Deputy Minister Safwat El Haddad said, Al Mal reports. The decision was made during a meeting between Agriculture Minister Abdel Moneim Al Banna and his Saudi counterpart last week, where both sides reviewed stricter quality control measures that Cairo enforced on its exports, including the Global Good Agricultural Practices (GLOBALGAP) framework. Saudi had decided to ban imports of Egyptian strawberries and peppers last year due to high levels of residual pesticides. A delegation from Egypt’s Agricultural Quarantine Authority had also traveled to Riyadh last week to negotiate an end to the ban. The fate of Egyptian guavas, which Saudi has also banned, remains unknown.