Following a period of unpredictable weather, Israel's new pomegranate season has got underway about three to four weeks earlier than usual, and growers were reporting good yields and quality as exports got underway at the start of August.
Production is said to be around 35-45 tonnes per hectare this time around – considerably higher than yields elsewhere in the world – with the Wonderful variety dominating the country's 2,900ha of planted area.
However, the continued emergence of new pomegranate varieties in Israel is said to be changing the way the market approaches their sourcing, according to at least one exporter.
'As growers and customers get to know and recognise the new varieties such as Akko and Emek, customers are now ordering pomegranate by variety,' says Yinon Osem, product manager at Jordan Valley-based Edom Fruits.
Israel is expected to export about 20,000 tonnes of fresh pomegranates this year to key export markets including the UK and Germany in western Europe and Russia in the east.
The two main exporters are Miriam Shoham, in cooperation with Mehadrin, and Mor International, which also produces the fruit in South Africa.
Together they account for around 40 per cent of the export market, while Edom Fruits says it aims to secure a 20 per cent share partly by marketing a new, exclusive variety called Shir.
