harvest season started about a week ago and the first containers are already on the water. “The moderate weather allowed for a very good growing season; the crop has a nice appearance and it is in excellent shape,” assures Oron Ziv, one of the founders of the producing and exporting company BeFresh.Production volumes are similar to last year’s, although the amounts distributed in the domestic and the overseas markets will vary compared to last season, as this highly depends on prices and market conditions. According to Ziv, the main export destinations will be Europe and Russia.
BeFresh normally enters the market with its Early Sweet white seedless grapes during the three week gap between the end of the Indian season and the start of the campaign in Egypt, where the predominant variety is the Superior Seedless (or Sugar One). “We believe that our grapes are currently the best option in terms of taste and appearance. Our first air shipments have also started and we expect shipment volumes to peak by the start of next week,” says Ziv.
The founder of BeFresh explains that it has been a tough season when it comes to prices for most products, so it is difficult to predict how grapes will do. “For the first air shipment we got a good price, as the market is pretty much empty, mostly due to the early finish of the Indian season. Next week we will see how we do, and even then, the big question mark is for how long it will last, as we have yet to see what volumes Egypt will ship.”
Ziv also mentions that last season was terrible for many operators, so many are being careful about where to ship. “In most cases last year, we could get better prices in the local market than in Europe, where the market was totally collapsed, and the situation was similar in Russia. We expect this campaign to be different, but we will be cautious and adopt a more conservative approach.”
