The UK office of Mehadrin Tnuport Export (MTex) has welcomed the first arrivals of Jaffa branded Or easy-peelers. It is only the third year for the new product in the UK, which is its main market.
MTex sees Or as playing an important role in the tricky post-Christmas easy-peel market. The fruit's season runs from February until the end of April and as new plantings come on stream commercial volumes are forecast to double in the next three to four years.
"Jaffa Or is our most exciting new variety and characteristically has a very high brix ratio giving a full and very sweet flavour and is very juicy and easy to peel," said Dov Warmen, md of MTex in the UK.
MTex controls approximately 70 per cent of all Jaffa Or production in Israel and 75 per cent of all exports are destined for the UK market. Other European markets include France and the Scandinavian countries.
"We are continuing to plant more orchards each year," said Warmen. "And we hope to have approximately 1,000ha allocated to this variety in three to four years, which is double the current level."
Or is being planted in the coastal and North Negev areas of Israel and it takes some four years for a new grove to reach maturity.
The variety is also being grown under licence in South Africa.
Jaffa Or is a mandarin hybrid of Temple and Dancy which was bred by the Volcani Institute seven years ago.
It is virtually seedless, tender and sweet. It is a medium-sized fruiting variety, its skin is light in colour and has a partial navel. It also has a long shelf life. MTex, the largest citrus operation in Israel, began plantings of Or in 1998.
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