Israeli growers started the date harvest this week forecasting a crop of some 22,000 tonnes - an increase of 18 per cent compared to the yield of 2005. The harvest is expected to be complete by the end of October.
Davidi Marom, general manager of Hadiklaim, the largest date growing and exporting co-operative in Israel, said that the leading variety this year will be the Medjoul date, with yields of 9,500t. Volumes will be supplemented by other varieties including Barhi, Dekel-Nur and Hiani, among others.
Half the Israeli date crop will be exported, mainly to Europe, and the UK will claim a significant share to be sold through Marks & Spencer, Waitrose, Tesco and Sainsbury’s.
Production has been increasing steadily this century and there are now 368,000 date trees in Israel, representing an increase of 80 per cent over the number of trees in 1999. The main production area is along the Jordan Valley, from the northerly Beit Shean Valley near the Lake of Galilee, to the Arava and Eilat regions in the south.
Annual output in the next three years is expected to increase significantly when the young trees planted several years ago will start to bear fruit. Date trees are indigenous to the region and thrive in its harsh climatic conditions. They can be irrigated with marginal and saline water, thus saving fresh water necessary for other horticultural crops and domestic use.
No comments yet