Israeli fruit exports have almost doubled in the last decade from NIS1.9 billion (£302 million) to NIS 3.6bn (£572m).

The figures were revealed by Rani Bar-Nes, chairman of the fruit branch of the Israeli Plants Production & Marketing Board (PPMB).

Gady Horovits, general manager of the fruit branch, told freshinfo: “This year is the first time in the last eight years that there is new and authentic leadership at all the different fruit growers’ boards.”

At the convention, the branch’s goals and achievements were outlined and a summary was given of export market developments and performance with the emphasis on Israel’s early summer lines.

Today there are 5,200 fruit grower members in the Israeli Fruit Branch, compared with about 8,000 growers a decade ago. Israeli orchards cover 35,000 hectares and produce about 650,000 tonnes annually, as opposed to 450,000t a decade ago.

Bar-Nes said: “The growth is explained taking in account the advance in research and development and the implementation of yield-improvement technology.”

He added that the board is drawing a budget from different sources in order to finance agricultural research in co-operation with the chief scientist’s office, at the Israeli ministry of agriculture. The ministry and the PPMB decided on fruit-fly pest control as its main project for 2010.

The fruit branch of the board brings together 28 different grower bodies, each representing a different fruit product excluding citrus.

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