The traditional season for Israeli Shamouti runs from January to April and this year Mehadrin Tnuport Export (MTEx), controller of 85 per cent of Israel’s Jaffa-branded Shamouti production, has predicted peak volumes throughout February and March before the season begins to wind down at the end of April.
Eating quality is excellent, says Dov Warmen, managing director of MTEx’s UK office, and early indications suggest that on average fruit sizes will be larger than last year with a lower volume of smaller produce available for export. This will not be a problem for the UK market with its preference for larger sizes.
“Quality has improved on last season, hence there is a 25 per cent increase in pack out,” says Warmen. “This year’s growing conditions have been ideal for Shamouti with high levels of winter rainfall, but no hail.”
Shamouti has long been a popular fruit on Israel’s home market and its profile on export markets is also high. Of MTEx’s total production, 65 per cent is exported and 40 per cent of all exports go to the UK.
The Shamouti orange was first introduced to the UK in the 1930s and despite stiff competition from other oranges, particularly Spanish fruit, Shamouti remains a highly distinctive orange that enjoys the full benefits of the Jaffa name - more oranges are sold in the UK during the traditional Jaffa orange season than at any other time of year.
Agrexco also exports Shamouti produced under the Jaffa brand. “It is the original seedless orange and although its maximum popularity was reached in the 1970s, we are still exporting 5,000 tonnes from Israel,” says product manager, Rob Cullum. “The growing areas for Shamouti are along coastal areas, and sizes range from 64-87mm. It is all packed to order in Israel and sea freighted by containers to Sheerness, or in the case of late orders, Agrexco uses its own vessels that sail via Marseille.”
With its oval shape and distinctive flavour, Shamouti, originally a bud mutation of Beladi found in Israel, has unique characteristics that have contributed to its enduring popularity. It has a thick skin, is easy to peel and has tender, virtually seedless segments.
“Fifteen years ago Israel exported 12 million packages of Shamouti,” says Yossi Hecht, one of the owners of Israel-based Aviv Fruit, “but now exports are in decline. Scandinavia appreciates the fruit as do Eastern European markets, but ever increasing costs of production, particularly the expense of water, has made growers think twice about producing it and many companies in Israel have switched to lines that are proving to be more economically viable.”
Aviv Fruit packs Shamouti for the local Israel market, Eastern Europe and Scandinavian markets. Hecht explains: “We grow mainly grapes, deciduous fruit and some citrus. In the winter there is a great demand for Shamouti on the home market and we don’t need to deal with many exporters, but Shamouti is not an item that is widely appreciated in European markets any more. UK retailers still stock it, but unfortunately a lot of wholesalers no longer have the space.”
MTEx is the largest citrus organisation in Israel with its own groves, packing facilities and European marketing offices. Practically all Jaffa branded fruit is sold through Mehadrin Tnuport, which is now developing internationally with selected quality citrus growers outside of the Israeli season, to provide year-round continuity. Strong retail support for the Jaffa brand has translated into excellent sales levels for MTEx’s branded packs. This season 90 per cent of MTEx’s fruit will be sold pre-packed and just 10 per cent loose. These figures aptly illustrate the continued segementation of Shamouti in the UK industry as a whole.
“In the last few years the Shamouti trade has really died off,” says Wayne Weatherstone, salesman at George Jackson. “We used to sell a lot of Shamouti, but there are other lines around now that have different eating qualities and these are often preferred.”
In addition to this, there are now no breaks in the orange season, says Weatherstone, and so Shamouti is not required to fill any gaps. “It is not something we would get excited about anymore,” says Weatherstone. “There are a wealth of oranges available now and for many it is considered to be a variety that is largely out-of-date.”
There are other difficulties associated with Shamouti, says Mark Wynne, salesman at Peter Gilding & Co. “Rind breakdown and marking are two problems that the variety is prone to. It has also been criticised in the past for a lack of durability. The fruit did arrive to schedule this year and we have not experienced any difficulties with it so far, but it is something that we deal with increasingly in limited volumes.”
Shamouti may have been superseded by other easy peel varieties from a consumer point of view but for many growers, rising production costs have started to eat away at shrinking profit margins.
“Shamouti oranges have been grown in Israel for more than 100 years,” says Hecht, “and the country has done well with its production. Now, the cost of growing is rising to the point where it is not viable to continue. Overall growers have to be increasingly competitive and this can be a bit of a problem. For many producers Shamouti is no longer a profitable variety and although it remains popular in some foreign markets, it does not enjoy a profile as high as in the past.
“I am a long-term supporter of the Shamouti orange,” Hecht continues, “and I strongly believe it to be one of the best oranges that has ever existed. It is regrettable it has gone out of favour and that preference has turned to other easy-peelers and varieties that are easy to produce. Although Shamouti is an easy-peeler, it does taste different to navel varieties and unfortunately I seem to have different tastes to some people.”
Nonetheless, Shamouti still has a valuable role in the orange buyers’ calendar, and many producers agree that as long as it remains competitive in terms of quality and price then its future remains secure. It also has the advantage of being available at a time of year when oranges are prevalent, and so there is a ready market for it.
As renewed plantings come on stream, export volumes are predicted to be similar to last season for MTEx which has 400 hectares of new plantings. There are two distinct branches to the company’s Shamouti re-planting programme with the orchards in the Sharon area of central Israel undergoing a process of regeneration, and also new plantings in areas such as northern Negev and southern Israel where both the land and water are cheaper. These are vital considerations since the costs of production are increasingly rising. The Negev also has a naturally hotter and dryer season that consistently produces more quality fruit and in the long term, more production will move to the Negev area as new planting reaches maturity. Older trees are being routinely replaced to ensure volumes and quality can be maintained.
Whatever the long-term future of Israeli Shamouti, one thing that looks certain - that is the dedication of Israel’s citrus industry to finding solutions to its problems. “At all times Israel is innovating and coming up with new citrus products,” says Hecht, “and the country is leading the way in terms of citrus development. We might not produce great volumes any more but we do lead the way in terms of citrus research. Perhaps Shamouti will become a novelty - then its value will increase and growers will be able to produce it once more.”
No comments yet