The success of the Suez Mango Festival in Egypt, an example of promoting local products, including seafood-
”A festival is an extraordinary event celebrated by the community and focused on one or more characteristic aspects of that community and its historical, cultural and religious heritage. Often it is a local festival but sometimes it can become a national and even international event”.
An unforgettable celebration of the Egyptian renowned Mangoes on the glorious Governorate of Suez of East Egypt, the festival boasts a sizzling entertainment programme. Events include mangoes competitions, music, craic, walks, talks, theater, children’s activities, a local art exhibition and a country market.
The Mango Festival in the Governorate of Suez aims to promote and support the marketing of local mango productions:
More than 20 high quality mango varieties are produced from about 65 different agricultural areas in Suez, whose soil is ideal for cultivation and with unique characteristics.
In spite of its high quality, the marketing of this mango on the Egyptian market finds great difficulty, mainly due to the competition and notoriety of the mango produced in the Ismailia region. The market is influenced by the following factors:
- In the culture of the Egyptian people, the mango from Ismailia is historically known;
- Logistics: the transport costs from Suez are much higher than from Ismaila, as the latter is closer to the important metropolitan markets – consequently, mangoes from Suez cost more.
What marketing strategy has the Suez Governorate put in place for the local mango?
Conceive and organize a locally produced “Mango Festival” and publicize the event nationwide.
For the first time in the history of Suez, a festival dedicated to mango was organized in a place loved by residents and visitors, the new Suez Corniche. The festival attracted thousands of people who were impressed by the competitive prices and quality of the mangoes.
The success of the festival produced remarkable marketing results: mangoes produced by local farmers continued to sell for the next 60 days after the festival, that is!
Can we use the same strategy for other products in the Suez community?
Suez Governorate owns the third largest fishing port in Egypt (ATTAKA fishing port) and produces a large amount of high-quality Red Sea fish.
The fishing products from Red Sea fish are very different in terms of species, colors, availability, and seasonality than the Mediterranean production that is currently more common and more widely sold throughout Egypt.
Therefore, a strategy is needed to get out of the national competition of fish markets!
Despite the availability of catch in the Port of Suez, there is a lack of fish processing-a promising industry for value addition and job creation for young people. The University of Suez has established a pilot fish processing unit to train students in the Faculty of Fisheries Resources.
However, there remains the problem of marketing fish products because the culture of the population does not easily accept processed fish.
Following the example of the Mango Festival, the next step is to create an event dedicated to local seafood with particular focus on processed and value-added fish.
Value addition is the most talked about word in the modern food processing industry and retail globally. Value can be added to fish and fishery products according to the requirements of different markets, including the strong traditional market requirements in Egypt.
There is great demand for seafood/seafood based products in ready to eat and ready to cook convenience form. A number of such diverse products have already invaded the urban markets. Reasonably good expendable income, education, awareness and consciousness towards hygiene and health, increased emphasis on leisure pursuits etc. are some of the reasons to select processed seafood.
Marketing of value added products is completely different from the traditional seafood trade. It is dynamic, sensitive, complex and very expensive. Market surveys, packaging and advertising are a few of the very important areas, which ultimately determine the successful movement of a new product.
A Festival of Processed Seafood in Suez Governorate could represent a new appropriate communication channel with distributors, retailers and above all consumers.
Appearance, packaging, quality, services, and display are all important factors leading to successful marketing of the new value added product to show during the festival.
The success of the Suez Mango Festival in Egypt, an example of promoting local products, including seafood
