Israel’s grape export crop is forecast to grow as high as 10,000 tonnes in 2006, as the country’s industry continues its rapid expansion.

This represents an 11 per cent rise on last year’s export crop, which weighed in at around 9,000t and was already a large increase on the previous season.

Dov Warmen, managing director of MTEX said his company will export 2,000t in 2006, a 100 per cent increase on last year, as it steps up its grape programmes to complement its already huge citrus exports.

He told FPJ Category Quarter that the shortage of product available from Mexico, on an already tight market, has opened up a larger early window for Israeli grape this season.

“We expect to start at the end of may, beginning of June, but the shortage in Mexico, where they are 40 per cent down and sending the majority of what’s left to the US, means there is high demand for Israeli product,” he said.

“We have already airfreighted in our first Early Sweet from growers in Jordan Valley. This variety has been extremely well received in the UK, with most supermarkets willing to have it on their shelves, and we have a very good quality crop, meeting all specifications on the technical side and with good brix levels.”

Some 80 per cent of MTEX’s volumes came to the UK in 2005, with the remainder finding a home on the continent.

Early Sweet will continue until the end of June, and licensed Superior Seedless will take over the offer throughout July and into the middle of August, grown mainly in Lashish.

Then Thompson Seedless will take the helm for four weeks from the second week of September to finalise the peak white deal.

The red season will be dominated by Crimson Seedless, which Warmen expects to be good too, although it is too early for firm predictions.

"MTEX as a company has always been very strong in citrus, but we are expanding in other areas, including grapes, and the window that seems to be available to us is very promising," said Warmen.

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