Potato exports guide

Egypt

Seed potatoes (updated 12 December 2023)

Growing crop tolerances

Class tolerances apply.

Tuber tolerances

Inspector's instructions EG/2007/02 apply.

Minimum tolerances for seed export apply, except for:

• Frost damage: 0%
• Misshapes: 0%
• Pink rot (Phytophthora erythroseptica): 0.1%
• Tuber blight (Phytophthora infestans): 0.1%
• Spraing (PMTV and TRV): 0.1%
• Internal brown or black spot or vascular discolouration: 0.5%
• Hollow heart: 0.5%
• Black heart:  0.5%
• Powdery scab (Spongospora subterranea): up to 1% of tubers by weight may have up to 10% surface area covered
• Common scab (Streptomyces scabies): no more than Dutch scale 1.5
• Rhizoctonia solani (all symptoms including black scurf, elephant hide, cracking, etc.): up to 5% of tubers by weight may have up to 10% surface area covered
• Black dot (Colletorichum coccodes): no tubers with more than 20% surface area covered.
• Silver scurf (Helminthosporium solani): up to 20% of tubers may be affected but no tubers with more than 20% of surface area covered

Other requirements

• Import permit: required, a copy must be submitted with the phytosanitary certificate application
• Producer number must be listed on the phytosanitary certificate
• ACID (Advance Cargo Information) number must be listed on the phytosanitary certificate
• Class: only class E and higher are accepted. Varieties which have been on the Egyptian National List for less than 3 years can also be imported as Class A but only in limited amounts and not for seed production. PBTC minitubers do not need to meet size or shipping date requirements but should be of varieties on the Egyptian National List.
• Size: tubers should be 28 - 55 mm. Sprouts should be no longer than 2 mm.
• Varieties: only varieties approved by the Egyptian Ministry of Agriculture may be imported
• Packaging: If wood packaging is used (e.g. boxes, pallets), this should be treated and certified. Wood material should comply with International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPM 15) on wood packaging.
• Date of lading: The last date of lading for 2022 is 5 December
• Shipment: A copy of the Bill of Lading should be submitted to the Egyptian Quarantine Service no later than 5 January 2019.

Procedures upon arrival

Egyptian officials will conduct a laboratory test for brown rot on a tuber sample before they will allow release of the consignment. The sampling rate is currently 200 tubers per container holding 25.2 tonnes.

Points of entry: Port of Alexandria, Port of Damietta, possibly others.

Additional declarations to be included on the reverse of the phytosanitary certificate for seed potatoes

1. Leptinotarsa decemlineata, Phthorimaea operculella, Euzophera osseatella, Premnotrypes spp, Epitrix cucumeris and subcrinata, Limonius canus and californicus, Ctenicera pruinina, Epicauta spp, Phyllophaga spp do not occur in Scotland. Hydraecia micacea is not known to be found in association with seed potato production in Scotland.
2. The seed potatoes in this shipment are accepted as seed potatoes. The seed potatoes as well as their place of cultivation are free from: Synchytrium endobioticum, Clavibacter michiganesis subsp. Sepedonicus,  Dickeya spp., Ralstonia solanacearum (previously known as Pseudomonas solanacearum), Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum, Potato Yellow Dwarf Virus, Globodera rostochiensis and Globodera pallida.
3. Potato tuber nematode (Ditylenchus destructor), root knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) and Potato Spindle Tuber Viroid have not been recorded in commercial stocks of potatoes grown in Scotland.
4. The consignment complies with GB Grade E certification scheme for virus tolerances.
5. The wood of the pallets have been heat or gas treated to comply with the International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures no. 15 (ISPM15) for wood packaging materials.
6. The consignment was inspected and complied with the Ministerial Decree no. 748/2019 and annex no. 14 of the Ministerial Decree no. 562/2019. 
7. The consignment is intended only for cultivation and it does not contain GMOs.

Ware potatoes 

Please note that Egyptian ware imports take place from August to October and must not interfere with seed imports.

Wart disease

Potato wart disease (Synchytrium endobioticum) must not be known to have occurred in the field where the potatoes were grown.

PCN 

The field in which the potatoes were grown must have been tested for the presence of Potato Cyst Nematodes (Globodera rostochiensis and G. pallida) pre-planting or where this has not been carried out lot freedom from PCN using a consignment test must be demonstrated (PCN testing for export applies). There will be a charge for these tests.

Tuber tolerances

Minimum tolerances for ware export apply including: Trichodorus spp. and Paratrichodorus spp.: NIL

Other requirements

Tubers should be treated in the country of origin with a recommended sprout suppressant.

Packaging: new, unused packing material only.

Labelling: three labels are required for each package:

1. A label on one side of the package should state in Arabic - Not intended for cultivation.
2. A label on the other side of the package should state the exporter, variety, grower number or field number.
3. A label stating ‘Not intended for cultivation’ in Arabic should be placed inside the package itself.

Certificates: The treatment certificate, with information on the sprout suppressant (treatment, name and dose) should accompany the phytosanitary certificate.

 ACID (Advance Cargo Information) number must be listed on the phytosanitary certificate

Additional declarations to be included on the reverse of the phytosanitary certificate for ware potatoes

1. Samples of soil from the land on which these potatoes were grown were drawn and tested prior to planting by the official services and no trace was found of Potato cyst nematodes (Glodobera pallida and G. rostochiensis) or lot freedom from PCN has been demonstrated by consignment test.
2. Wart Disease (Synchytrium endobioticum) is not known to have occurred at any time on the land on which the potatoes were grown.
3. Ring rot (Clavibacter michiganensis ssp. sepedonicus), Potato tuber moth (Phthorimaea operculella), Potato spindle tuber viroid, Potato stolbur phytoplasma, Brown rot (Ralstonia solanacearum), Tomato spotted wilt virus, Potato Yellow Dwarf Virus and Colorado beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata) are not known to occur in Scotland.
4. The potato tubers comply with Egyptian plant quarantine regulations and the technical requirement stated by Technical notice No. 23 dated 17/09/2013 the tubers have been treated with growth inhibitor (INSERT name and dose) and it is not intended for cultivation.