Egypt in dash to resolve pesticides “crisis” before November export season: Faced with a fresh ban on agricultural exports on concerns Egyptian growers use too much pesticide — this time targeting strawberry sales to Saudi Arabia — the Agriculture Ministry is investigating labs responsible for testing exports and is blacklisting the unnamed company whose strawberries triggered the ban in Saudi, Al Shorouk reports. The latest ban, which comes into effect on 11 July, is unlikely to result in large losses for Egyptian strawberry exporters as the season ended in April, Agriculture Export Council head Abdel Hamid El Demerdash tells Reuters. “I expect the crisis of Egyptian agricultural exports to Arab countries to be resolved before the beginning of the new export season which begins mid-November,” El Demerdash said. Several countries have banned Egyptian produce due to high pesticide levels, with Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Kuwait all saying no to Egyptian peppers.

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