A zest for demand: Inside one of Egypt's massive orange factories – in pictures

For the second year in a row Egypt has stayed at the top of the list of countries exporting citrus fruits by volume

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  Workers sort oranges at the Mafa farms packing house in Cairo, Egypt. For the second year in a row, Egypt topped the list of countries exporting citrus fruits by volume. Getty Images

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  Mafa exports its oranges to 58 countries. Getty Images

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  An overview of the sorting process at the Mafa farms packing house. Egypt's annual exports of citrus, mainly oranges, is about 1.8 million tonnes, according to local news reports. Getty Images

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  Mafa has more than 2,000 full-time workers. The company also hires thousands of day labourers each year, according to news reports. Getty Images

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  Mafa exports between 100,000 and 115,000 tonnes of agricultural products annually. Getty Images

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  Oranges on an inspection belt that sorts the fruit based on imperfections. Getty Images

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  Mafa farms cover 24.28 square kilometres of Egypt's Beheira Governorate. Getty Images

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  A Mafa farms worker harvests oranges. Getty Images

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  A Mafa worker inspects the orange groves. The company also grows lemons, limes, grapefruit, as well as a wide range of other fruit. Getty Images

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