Samo Trading and Distribution Company (Abu Auf) aims to achieve EGP 350m worth of sales this year compared to EGP 250m last year, an increase of 40%.
Ahmed Auf, the general manager of Abu Auf, predicted that the company’s total exports will reach $2m this year, an increase of 100% compared to last year.
He said that the company injected investments worth EGP 50m this year to increase its production capacity. The new production lines (whose production will be directed to foreign markets) will come into force this month, Auf added.
Auf pointed out that the price of exported goods were good this season compared to those provided by competing countries in international markets. The company secures 85% of its needs of raw materials from the local market—a step that had a positive impact on export revenues, he added.
Auf further added that his company focuses currently on South East Asian markets, benefitting from the products’ high competitiveness in terms of prices and high standards of quality. This region accounts for 70% of the company’s total exports, and the rest is divided between the Arab Gulf and North America.
Mohamed Hajjaj, the export manager of Abu Auf, said that the company considers expansion in planting dates over the next two years. The company has not announced the target area yet, but it chose the New Valley governorate for its high-quality date production.
He pointed out that date exports account for 70% of the company’s total products, which also include nuts and coffee. The company seeks to increase this ratio to 90%, through new contracts as part of the company’s plan to increase exports.
Hajjaj added that the company also seeks to increase its storage capacity to 4,000 tons per year, instead of only 2,000 tons.
Abu Auf aims to enter new markets, such as Latin America and the European Union, through participating in several exhibitions, such as “Anuga” in Germany.
Hajjaj said the company aims to overcome the problem of high-production costs, through reducing the costs of transportation and using paper for packaging.