{"id":17719,"date":"2025-01-13T19:12:52","date_gmt":"2025-01-13T17:12:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/?p=17719"},"modified":"2026-10-08T07:59:11","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T05:59:11","slug":"upper-egypt-women","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/upper-egypt-women\/","title":{"rendered":"From Rooftops to Export Markets: Rural Egyptian Women Build a Living from Dried Produce"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sahar al-Nubi wakes at dawn to take care of her household before beginning five hours of work on the roof of her small home in Esna, Luxor. Wearing gloves and a medical mask, she washes and halves tomatoes, prepares them for drying and supervises the women working alongside her.<\/p>\n

She describes using salt and a small amount of a sulphur-based treatment during preparation. Such food-processing treatments require proper training and controls; her account describes her working practice, rather than a recipe for home use. Once dried, the tomatoes are collected and stored in a well-ventilated room, away from perfume and cigarette smoke, before being sorted into three grades and sold to traders supplying export markets. Depending on quality and the sale, a kilogram fetches between EGP 100 and EGP 200.<\/p>\n

Al-Nubi learned the trade through the Al-Taysir Association for Social Welfare in Armant, Luxor. \u201cI received EGP 100 a day, as well as a meal,\u201d she tells Zawia3. Her training lasted 14 days, covering each stage of production. She then spent a month working at the Al-Shaheed facility in Esna before starting on her own rooftop with the help of other women and girls.<\/p>\n

She says the work enabled her to support herself and her family. Her operation produces about 80 kilograms every fortnight, or 160 kilograms a month. She reports personal earnings of EGP 1,000\u20132,000 every two weeks, and says some sales bring EGP 100\u2013150 per kilogram. Those earnings figures should not be confused with the total sales value of the operation.<\/p>\n

But at the time of her interview, she had stopped drying tomatoes: fresh produce had risen to EGP 35\u201340 per kilogram, making the quantities she needed unaffordable.<\/p>\n

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A rooftop business has given al-Nubi an income, but expensive tomatoes and a shortage of space put expansion beyond her reach.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Her ambitions extend beyond tomatoes to other dried vegetables and fruit. She wants to sell by the tonne and employ more women, but her roof measures just 150 square metres. Renting land would provide room to grow; the cost has so far prevented her from doing so.<\/p>\n

Even on this limited scale, her experience has encouraged other women to earn money from home, using locally available crops at a time when household budgets are under severe pressure.<\/p>\n

Drying offers a way to preserve a crop vulnerable to losses after harvest. A December 2023 report in Al Borsa<\/a> described efforts by Egypt\u2019s Agriculture Ministry and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization to expand tomato-drying projects. The report cited estimates of substantial post-harvest waste.<\/p>\n

In that report, Mohamed Hashem, chairman of Al-Hashem, estimated that the number of fruit- and vegetable-drying companies had risen by 60% during 2023. He put dried-tomato output at 2,500 tonnes, up from 1,000 tonnes in 2022, and exports at more than $4 million. According to his estimates, only about 5% of output was consumed locally, with most sold abroad, including to European and Middle Eastern markets. These are industry estimates reported in 2023, rather than a statistical count for 2025.<\/p>\n

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Heat threatens crops\u2014and helps dry them<\/h2>\n

The relationship between climate and food processing is complicated. Research cited in reporting on the Agricultural Research Center<\/a> examines how different warming scenarios could affect Egyptian crops. Those projections vary by crop and scenario; a single percentage cannot be applied indiscriminately to wheat, barley, maize, sorghum, rice, soybeans and tomatoes.<\/p>\n

A study by Fatma Mohamed al-Husseini Mohamed Haggag, published in the Alexandria Science Exchange Journal in September 2023, also examined climate impacts on tomato yields. The reporting for this article cited a projected 13% decline. Such figures concern particular research assumptions, not an inevitable reduction in every farm\u2019s output. Differences in cotton\u2019s response likewise do not mean that the crop is immune to climate change.<\/p>\n

Drought, heatwaves, water scarcity, soil erosion and erratic rainfall all create economic and social challenges for agriculture. Yet the same hot conditions that can damage seedlings also make drying faster, says environmental and water-resources expert Abbas Sharaki.<\/p>\n

He describes drying as a rapidly spreading processing industry in southern Egypt, with a growing market. It preserves surplus crops that would otherwise deteriorate during prolonged storage as fresh produce.<\/p>\n

Like freezing, drying is a means of preservation. Sharaki says it is suitable for products including onions, garlic, dates, apricots and grapes. It extends availability beyond the harvest season and makes produce easier to transport for export. Processing during periods of abundant supply can also preserve food for use when prices rise.<\/p>\n

He estimates that a tonne of dried onions represents roughly five tonnes of fresh onions, illustrating how removing water reduces the weight that must be transported and stored.<\/p>\n

Training is essential, he stresses. Commercial drying requires knowledge of preparation methods and appropriate food-treatment quantities; success with a small batch for family consumption does not automatically translate into a safe, viable business.<\/p>\n

Sharaki is more optimistic about future tomato output than the climate projections discussed above. He cites yields of 50\u201360 tonnes per feddan in productive cultivation, rather than presenting that figure as a national average. In his view, a central problem is the need to sell tomatoes quickly: farmers cannot keep large quantities of the fresh crop indefinitely.<\/p>\n

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From handouts to paid work<\/h2>\n

Hala Mahmoud al-Hassani, executive director of Al-Taysir in Armant, says the association wanted to move beyond financial assistance towards work that could give women a sustained income.<\/p>\n

Its approach reflects local restrictions on women\u2019s employment. In some Upper Egyptian communities, inherited customs discourage women from working outside the home. Teaching a trade that can be practised at home offers one way around that barrier, she explains. She credits Al-Saadi al-Ghul, dean of the Faculty of Languages at Hurghada University, as the driving force behind the idea.<\/p>\n

The association signed a cooperation agreement with the Enhancing Rural Agribusiness project<\/a>, funded by the US Agency for International Development. Al-Hassani says the partnership enabled its producers to participate in the Food Africa trade exhibition, where their goods attracted orders.<\/p>\n

According to her account, the women subsequently exported 20 tonnes of tomatoes. The exhibition helped connect their small-scale production with buyers who could place larger contracts.<\/p>\n

The domestic market remains limited, she says. Many Egyptian consumers are unfamiliar with dried tomatoes and how to use them. The association sells to large hotels in Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh that host substantial numbers of Italian and British guests, supplying tomatoes for pizza sauces and other dishes, alongside dried bananas, mangoes, figs and grapes for snacks.<\/p>\n

Traders buy the larger quantities for export. Al-Hassani says women account for 80% of the association\u2019s workforce: it trained 450 women, of whom 300 found work. She also reports employment for 120 previously unemployed women at a tomato sorting, packing and packaging facility in Armant. These figures describe the association\u2019s activities and should not be added together as necessarily separate groups.<\/p>\n

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Training alone is not enough: connections to buyers and places to process the crop are what turn a skill into an income.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Historical statistics reproduced by the National Council for Women<\/a> illustrate the importance of women\u2019s economic role, but should not be treated as current 2025 figures. The data cited in the Arabic report put the share of female-headed households at 22.3% in Sohag, 20.4% in Luxor, 19.8% in Dakahlia and 19.2% in Cairo. The corresponding figures were 1.7% in South Sinai, 4.9% in New Valley, 6.6% in the Red Sea governorate and 7.3% in Matrouh.<\/p>\n

The same historical compilation gave women\u2019s economic participation as 23.1%, with 40% in New Valley and 9.7% in the former Sixth of October governorate. That obsolete administrative classification is a reminder that these are older statistics, whose reference year was not supplied in the original reporting.<\/p>\n

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A business after retirement<\/h2>\n

In Manshaat Kaseb, a village in Giza\u2019s Badrashin district, Manar Maabed has built another fruit- and vegetable-drying venture. A former petroleum geologist who later worked in teaching and administration at the American University, she turned to the idea after retiring in 2011.<\/p>\n

Initially, she wanted something to occupy her time\u2014and healthier alternatives to the sweets and packaged snacks her grandchildren ate between meals. She read about drying produce, then spent a month in India learning practical methods at a solar-drying factory.<\/p>\n

Back in Egypt, she first tried the technique for her family. That modest beginning grew into Miniz, a business intended to provide women and girls in the village with an income while accommodating local customs that restricted their ability to work away from home.<\/p>\n

Hanan Mohamed was among the first women to join her. Together, they learned each stage of processing, then trained others to dry a range of vegetables and fruit efficiently while retaining as much of their nutritional value as possible.<\/p>\n

Mohamed says she has worked on the project since 2011. Her early experiments were for family use. After extensive practice, she was able to dry courgettes and carrots for vegetable soup, as well as several kinds of fruit. The products found an appreciative local audience.<\/p>\n

Exporting, however, remains beyond the venture\u2019s capacity. Producing tonnes for Arab and European markets would require more capital and many more workers, she says.<\/p>\n

Mohamed has passed on her skills to other women and girls who lacked paid work. For some families, the enterprise has become an important source of independence and stability amid rising living costs.<\/p>\n

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An opportunity that needs support<\/h2>\n

Economist Shaaban Ali Salem sees potential for dried produce to support household incomes and earn export revenue, particularly where there is demand in Arab and European markets. He argues that Egypt needs a deliberate strategy to develop these businesses.<\/p>\n

He points to lower storage and transport costs: removing water reduces bulk, and properly processed dried food can avoid the need for continuous refrigerated storage. Quality still depends on controlling the stages before, during and after drying. The suitability of preservatives or other treatments depends on the particular product and process.<\/p>\n

Seasonal crop surpluses, relatively inexpensive raw produce at harvest time and an available workforce can all favour small ventures. The equipment need not be highly complex, Salem says, and the skills can be taught to workers with different educational backgrounds.<\/p>\n

He lists onions, garlic, chillies, tomatoes and molokhiya among the vegetables with export potential, alongside raisins, dried apricots, figs and dates. He describes a village in Fayoum whose work centres on dried molokhiya exports to Jordan, and tomatoes processed in Upper Egypt for European buyers. Contracts with trained women and men connect this production to export traders.<\/p>\n

The figures he supplied for particular export categories lacked a clear reference year and scope, so they do not establish the total value of Egypt\u2019s fresh or dried produce exports.<\/p>\n

A 2024 market report by Mordor Intelligence<\/a> estimated Egypt\u2019s overall fruit and vegetable market at $15.64 billion in 2024 and forecast $25.88 billion by 2029, a compound annual growth rate of 10.6%. Those were commercial market estimates and a forecast, not a projection issued by the FAO or a valuation of dried produce alone.<\/p>\n

The report separately cited FAO production data for 2020: 14.7 million tonnes of fruit and 16.1 million tonnes of vegetables. It put orange production at 3.2 million tonnes, tomatoes at 6.7 million tonnes, and onions and leeks at 3.2 million tonnes. Its estimate of the market\u2019s value in 2023 was $14.14 billion.<\/p>\n

Access to suitable credit is another difficulty. Salem says that, in his assessment, available agricultural lending data do not reliably establish how much credit actually reaches the small projects it is meant to support. He raises concerns about loans being used for other purposes; this is his assessment, rather than a finding established here about individual borrowers or the bank.<\/p>\n

For women working on rooftops and in village workshops, the opportunity is tangible\u2014but so are the limits. Affordable inputs, training, land, finance and buyers determine whether a small source of income can become a lasting business. Their efforts raise a broader question: what support will public authorities provide to help these enterprises grow and protect the low-income families who depend on them?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Women in Luxor and Giza are turning dried tomatoes, fruit and vegetables into livelihoods\u2014but rising costs, limited space and access to buyers constrain their businesses.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":11599,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[413],"tags":[],"kateb":[18016],"class_list":["post-17719","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-society-en","kateb-ayar-abdel-karim"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/\u0637\u0645\u0627\u0637\u0645-\u0645\u062c\u0641\u0641\u0629-.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17719","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17719"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17719\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17720,"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17719\/revisions\/17720"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11599"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17719"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17719"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17719"},{"taxonomy":"kateb","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/kateb?post=17719"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}