Garlic and Onion Cultivation in Egypt
Garlic and onions have a long history in Egypt. There are historical records shows that garlic and onions were an important health food for the workers during the construction of the great Pyramid of Egypt. Garlic and onions are two of the most important Egyptian economic crops at home and abroad that have a global reputation. They are important crops used for food as well as medicine.
The cultivated areas of garlic and onions in this country are the Lower Egypt, the Middle Egypt and the Upper Egypt, which is mainly located Nile Valley and Nile Delta Area. And the production differs from one province to another.

Egyptian Garlic and Onions for Export
In Egypt, garlic and onions are generally cultivated for both local consumption and export. And they are exported both in fresh or dried form.
Egypt ranks the forth leading country in the world for garlic production after China, India and Korea. European Union is one of the most important importers of Egyptian fresh garlic, and Germany and Italy are the most important markets of EU for fresh garlic; the Arab free trader’s zone is the most important economic bloc’s importers of Egyptian garlic powder, and Syria and Morocco are the most important markets of the Arab free trader’s zone for Egyptian garlic powder.
The Egyptian onion exports occupies the fourth place in exports of agricultural commodities after each of cotton, rice and potatoes. Importers of the Egyptian onions includes Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Yemen in the Arab free trade zone, Lebanon comes in the first place, Jordan is ranked second. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is the most important economic blocs importing Egyptian fresh onions; the Saudi market is one of the important markets importing Egyptian fresh onions, followed in the ranking by the Arab free trade zone which occupies the second place among the economic blocs for fresh onions; the EU is the most important economic blocs and importers of dried Egyptian onion, and Germany and Netherlands are considered as the most important markets for importing Egyptian dried onions. And, if there is a onion production lack in US, America is also a great import country for onions from Egypt.

Egypt Dried Garlic and Onions Processing
Drying or dehydrating is one of the methods used to produce a concentrated product by reducing the moisture content under suitable temperature, relative humidity, and air velocity, which is helpful for food preservation. After dehydration, the food can be simply reconstituted without substantial loss of flavor, taste, color and aroma.
Dried garlic and onions is a one of the leading products for Egyptian export, and the export industry of dried garlic and onions is in the first place with huge investment, so producing dried garlic and onions is a significant gesture in Egypt. In 2015, there was a new drying plant set up in Sohag to replace the one closed in January 2009 after a working period of 49 years. The new drying facility is to take advantage of the large amount of garlic and onion production and get them ready for export.
Dehydration of garlic and onions is one of the most profitable process in terms of economic return in Egypt. There are 15 plants spreading over 11 provinces to dry garlic and onions. The importance of dehydration is to increase the value of the manufacturer as well as the availability of labor and an abundance of excellent raw materials.
---Dried Garlic Powder Production

Garlic powder is a hygienically-prepared product of good quality which is mainly used in food preparation as a condiment, as well as in many medicinal preparations as a carminative and gastric stimulant. It is easy and convenient to use and store and can be transported without any difficulty.
Machines involved in manufacturing process:
1.Garlic clove separating machine: garlic bulbs are broken in to individual cloves by soft rollers which exert speed-difference rubbing to crack the bulbs without damaging the cloves.
2.Garlic peeling machine: the garlic skin is loosed after separating, and it can be removed by strong air swirling flow.
3.Garlic slicing machine: the peeled cloves are sliced to form flakes.
4.Garlic dryer machine: to get a good dehydration effect, the garlic slices or flakes can be dried by tunnel drier or continuous belt drier.
5.Garlic powder grinding machine: dehydrated garlic can be powdered in the multi-function grinder machine.
6.Packing machine: the finished garlic powder need to be packed immediately to prevent moisture absorption.
---Dried Onion Production

Dehydrated onions are regarded as a kind of product with potential in world trade, and it has a large demand of dehydrated onion in the European countries. Onions are generally dried from an initial moisture content of about 86% (wb) to 7% (wb) or less to get efficient storage and processing. Dehydrated onions in the form of flakes or powder are in extensive demand in several countries, such as UK, Japan, Russia, Germany, Netherlands and Spain.
Equipment required in dried onion production:
1.Onion root cutting machine: the tops and tails of onions need to be cut off so that peeling can be accomplished successfully.
2.Onion peeling machine: onion skin is removed by pneumatic working principle.
3.Water bubble cleaning machine for onions: cleaning is necessary to remove the dirt, and water bubble cleaning can retain the original quality of onions with no damage to them.
4.Surface water removing equipment: after cleaning, to remove the residual water on the surface of onions, a centrifugal dryer or an air dryer can be employed, so that it will not affect the further processing.
5.Onion slicing machine: cut the onions into uniform slices to get a perfect drying result.
6.Onion slices drying oven: slices are passed to the dehydration equipment to reduce moisture content to a proper degree.
7.Onion powder grinding mill: after drying, the onions are delivered to milling area, and then they are milled into large chopped, fine chopped, ground, granulated, and powdered onions.
8.Packaging equipment: the final dried onions can be packed in the form of chopped, ground, granulated and powdered onions.

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