Harvesting of Early Sweet, the first of the grape varieties from Agrexco, commenced last week in Israel, said Amos Orr, general manager of Agrexco UK.
“Volumes are low at present but they are on the increase. We had been waiting for the sugar to reach the right brix level but it is now where we want it to be. Each day we are seeing a few more growers starting to harvest and it does mean that for the next two weeks we will be extending our logistical route by supporting the vessel by trailers leaving every Monday until sufficient volume is achieved.
“There is a shortage now in the market but we are working hard to try to ensure that we will be able cover customer needs,” he said.
Early Sweet, which has been the source of much discussion in the UK over the last eighteen months, came out of the well-established Grapa breeding programme in the early 1990s as the result of many years spent cross-breeding varieties to complement the mainstays Sugraone, Perlette and Thompson at the extremities of the production seasons around the world.
Grapa has highlighted mid-May to mid June as the critical time in the UK market, when there are still grapes in the market from the southern hemisphere, but the market has historically been short of high quality, fresh grapes and it is possible to obtain good prices.
Agrexco, of course, will move on from Early Sweet into the rest of its range, said Orr. “We will be bringing in Superior Seedless within the next two to three weeks and for a time will work both varieties together, before the season for Early Sweet finishes and Thompson begins. Flame seedless is due to start in the second week of June. We have been quite fortunate with the weather in Israel so we are looking forward to a good season all round.”
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