Green Smile announces the launch of the Egypt Berry Conference (EBC 2027), a new professional platform dedicated to the development of Egypt’s berry industry. The first edition will take place on 20 January 2027 in Cairo, Egypt, under the theme “Building a resilient, profitable and competitive berry industry.”
Bringing together growers, exporters, packhouses, investors, genetics companies, suppliers, researchers and technical experts, EBC 2027 will focus on four interconnected pillars: market, investment and industry development; technology, water and resilient production; low-residue strategies and market access; and postharvest performance and commercial value.

Why Egypt, Why Now?
Egypt has built a strong position in strawberry production and exports, while the development of blueberries is opening a new chapter for the country’s berry industry. This evolution creates opportunities but also raises important questions around investment, technical capacity, production systems, infrastructure, water management, food safety, quality and access to demanding export markets.
EBC 2027 aims to create a dedicated platform where these challenges can be addressed together, connecting decisions made on the farm with packhouse performance, market requirements and long-term profitability.

From Market Growth to Profitable Value Chains
The conference will examine global berry growth and what it means for emerging origins, alongside Egypt’s established strawberry position and the development of its blueberry industry. Discussions will address export windows and competing origins, retailer and consumer expectations, genetics and licensing, investment criteria, production scale, infrastructure, pack-out, returns and profitability, as well as the need for closer coordination between growers, packhouses, exporters and markets.
The programme will also consider realistic opportunities for raspberry and blackberry development and explore how Egypt can strengthen its competitive position through quality, technology, market differentiation and greater value creation, rather than production volume alone.

Technology, Varieties and Resilient Production
Producing berries under Egyptian conditions requires systems adapted to heat, high radiation, water stress and salinity. EBC will address variety selection, low- and zero-chill genetics, soil and substrate production, protected cultivation, irrigation and fertigation, water quality and drainage, ventilation and climate management, automation, sensors, forecasting, pollination, crop scheduling and plant balance.
The relationship between genetics and agronomy will be explored to understand how productivity, fruit quality and resilience can be maintained under challenging conditions.
For blueberries, a key question will be how technical expertise and infrastructure can develop alongside planted area. For strawberries, discussions will focus on protecting Egypt’s established position while responding to evolving requirements for quality, efficiency and market reliability.

Low-Residue Production and Market Access
Crop protection will form another important part of EBC 2027, with a focus on reducing pesticide reliance while maintaining effective and economically viable production. Topics will include integrated pest and disease management, biological and cultural control, monitoring and prevention, resistance management, targeted interventions and residue planning according to destination markets.
The conference will also address food safety, pesticide-residue and heavy-metal testing, phytosanitary requirements and export compliance, examining how technical decisions in the field can directly influence access to international markets.

Postharvest: Where Production Becomes Commercial Value
EBC 2027 will place particular emphasis on the principle that shelf life and commercial quality begin before harvest. The programme will cover harvest management, preharvest factors affecting postharvest performance, pre-cooling, cold-chain discipline, controlled storage, packaging, sorting, traceability, shelf life, postharvest pest risks and phytosanitary control.
It will also examine how stronger coordination between farms, packhouses and exporters can reduce fruit losses, quality claims and rejected shipments while ensuring that more of the crop reaches the market in commercially valuable condition.

An Egyptian Platform with an International Perspective
While EBC will bring international and African experience to Cairo, the programme is being developed around Egyptian production conditions, investment realities and industry needs. The conference will connect perspectives from production, research, investment, export, crop protection and postharvest, culminating in an industry leadership discussion addressing key questions:

• Which barriers need to be solved first?
• Where should investment be prioritized?
• How can technical innovation translate into commercial value?
•  And how can Egypt strengthen its competitiveness without relying primarily on low-cost positioning?

“Egypt combines an established strawberry industry with a new phase of development in blueberries and wider opportunities across the berry category. Our ambition with EBC is to create a platform rooted in the realities of the Egyptian industry while connecting it with relevant African and international expertise, technology and markets,” said Siham Zahidi, Managing Director of Green Smile.

From Morocco to Egypt
Building on Green Smile’s experience with the Morocco Berry Conference, EBC represents a new step following the “Berries of Africa” vision introduced at MBC 2025, extending industry dialogue and knowledge exchange to another important African berry-producing market. Further announcements regarding the programme, partnerships and participating experts will follow in the coming months.

EVENT INFORMATION
Event: Egypt Berry Conference 2027
Date & Location : 20 January 2027, Cairo, Egypt
Theme: Building a resilient, profitable and competitive berry industry
Official Website: https://www.greensmile.ma/en/egypt-berry-conference-1-edition-2026/
Social Media: LINKEDIN / INSTAGRAM / FACEBOOK : Egypt Berry Conference
Email: [email protected]

About Green Smile
Green Smile develops professional conferences, training programmes and industry platforms dedicated to agriculture and high-value horticultural crops. Through its events, the organization connects growers, companies, experts and other industry stakeholders around technical knowledge, innovation, market development and professional collaboration.