Israel is awash with luscious fruit during the hot summer months, and as more producers look to gain greater exposure in the UK, it could be a win-win situation for both consumers and exporters.
Leading producer Agrexco exports a wide range of summer lines to the UK, including stonefruit, grapes, mango, figs, lychees, pitahaya, passion fruit and melons.
According to Agrexco UK’s general manager Oded Yacovson, the producer is seeing a significant rise in demand for plums and figs. “We also predict a rise for our speciality stonefruit,” he adds.Agrexco tells FPJ that there is the possibility that it might sell cherries in the UK, as a result of the recent interest shown.
Ben-Dor produces fruits in Yesod Hama’ala in the Upper Galilee. The firm exports its stonefruit via Agrexco, and is constantly working on new varieties. “We have registered our apricot, plum, nectarine, pear and peach varieties and, in order to help us market our new and exciting varieties, we put them in families that describe them best, such as Aromacot and Plumegranate,” explains Seffi Ben-Dor.
Developing new varieties can be a long and arduous task. “We invest in every variety, growing it for about six to seven years before it can be marketed commercially,” says Ben-Dor. “When bringing a new variety to the market, there is always a risk. However, after so many years and so much experience, we are able to focus on market demand, and we believe that helps us produce and market a winning variety that consumers will love.”
Ben-Dor is proud of the achievements it has made on stonefruit, and says it develops new fruit varieties with a “special emphasis on flavour and aroma”.
“All of our new apricots are working wonderfully in the UK market,” says Ben-Dor. “The fruits are unique in colour, shape and taste, and the fact that they stick out on the shelves makes it hard for anyone to be apathetic to them.”
Ben-Dor is not the only producer that is working on varieties. Israeli breeder Hazera Genetics has launched Antonella, a new tomato variety for the summer.
“Antonella can be planted during Israel’s hot spring and summer, and can be used for both on-the-vine and loose fruit production,” says Nilly Maik, marketing communications manager.
In terms of other fruits, grapes are an important summer line, and a number of varieties are grown in the country, ranging from Early Sweet, Perlette and Thompson Seedless to Crimson and Red Globe.
The season normally kicks off in late May and, while some producers say they were unaffected by the frosts that hit Israel earlier in the year, others have reported smaller fruit sizes and a slightly later start date.
However, Yacovson says the grape season is going well, and Agrexco began handling its first variety Early Sweet a week early. This was followed by the green seedless Sugraone variety. “Eating quality is excellent, with high sugar levels,” Yacovson tells FPJ.
The value of Israel’s fruit sector grew by 10 per cent last year, and pomegranates is one sector that is experiencing intensive growth. Yinon Osem, fruit marketing specialist, has high hopes for the seeded fruit this season. Pomegranates have captured consumer attention in recent years, and campaigns highlighting their nutritional benefits, in particular their high levels of vitamin C and antioxidants, have paid off.
“We are expecting a very big season, and hope that more customers will sample the unique Israeli varieties such as Aco, Shani and Ext,” Osem says.
“These varieties are premium ones when it comes to colour(both external and internal), taste and seeds. Many newplantations will produce these varieties this season.”
Wonderful remains Osem’s main pomegranate variety, as it tends to produce large-sized fruit, but the company is also working on creating new lines for retailers.
Supply into the UK will start at the beginning of September, and Osem is hoping for excellent-quality fruit following “a long Indian season”. “We hope we will be able to extend the season to February,” he says.
Meanwhile, Osem anticipates “normal” mango volumes this season. The season is expected to begin around July 20, and end on November 1.
“Shelly will be the main variety that will increase in volumes,” Osem predicts. “This is a top-quality variety, and will sell alongside other mangoes in the supermarkets.”
Osem also hopes that a newer variety called Kasturi will find favour in the UK.
While the UK market remains a key area for Israel, a number of producers are also intensifying their focus on eastern Europe. According to Osem, large quantities of stonefruit are being shipped to this market, while grapes are also finding favour in Russia.
Although there are many positives about the summer line deal, rising temperatures and less rainfall does usually bring some concern. Reports in the Israeli press in May warned that producers would be forced to destroy 60,000 dunams of fruit and citrus groves - about 10 per cent of all fruit groves in Israel - irrigated with potable water, as water allocations have been cut by 40 million cubic meters, according to Ilan Eshel, director of the Organisation of Fruit Growers in Israel.
The association calculated that output could drop by as much as 150,000 tonnes, although much of this will affect products such as pears and apples, which are not exported.
Yacovson moved swiftly to allay fears that Israeli water shortages could affect summer line exports to the UK.
“We have been facing this problem of water shortages for a long time,” Yacovson said in late May. “But this season will not be dramatically different, in this respect, to last season: we have had a dry winter this year, but we had a dry winter last year. Yes, water allocations have been cut, but I do not foresee any shortages in exports to the UK.”
According to Ben-Dor, stonefruit has not been affected by the drought, and he says that the very cold winter has led to higher chilling hours than normal. In addition, the hot summer has resulted in larger and sweeter fruits.
Yacovson does, however, acknowledge that there are other challenges facing not only Agrexco, but all companies supplying the UK.
“These challenges include meeting and fulfilling each individual customer’s specifications - a task much harder than selling into the general European market,” he says.
Being consistent when providing the variety, quality and service level customers are accustomed to remains a priority.
The spotlight on carbon footprint has also meant ever greater plans to increase the amount of product sent by sea. Agrexco exports almost 80 per cent of product in its vessels.
And, the currency situation continues to cause concern. “The way the pound is against the shekel means we need to save costs where we can, without compromising on our quality and business service levels,” Yacovson says.
Research and development is also a priority, as Israel develops specialist varieties to give it a point of difference. “Prices are always an issue, but we feel that by offering premium-quality fruit, prices should be better,” Yacovson says.
Israeli producers and exporters alike are hoping that the UK will enjoy a hot, prolonged summer, to tempt consumers to sample their vast array of summer lines.
ISRAELI SOLUTIONS LEADING THE FIELD
Israel is paving the way in finding solutions to combat global warming and desertification, according to Dr Yuval Eshdat, chief scientist of Israel’s agriculture ministry.
Speaking to delegates at the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation summit in Rome in early June, Eshdat said Israel has been dealing with the problem of desertification since its inception and, over the years, has developed a number of initiatives to turn desert into arable land for agriculture.
“Through research, we have developed tools to make the most effective use of water, including waste and marginal water, to advance farming on even the most arid lands,” Eshdat adds.
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