Because of the smaller volume of grapefruit, the season will be shorter. “It is too early to say anything, but I feel positive about the grapefruit season after a number of difficult years,” says Oron Ziv from Befresh Europe. The early grapefruit are mainly for the European markets, although they are exported to China as well. “Demand from Asia is also good, but regulations are much stricter, making it more difficult to export to those markets.” Because of better prices and higher demand, the market is better than it has been in years.
“Even now you can sell grapefruit at reasonable prices. Last season there was a gap on the market, because South Africa had already left the market. But once Turkey and Spain entered the market, it completely collapsed, and we had no chance at all.” That is not the case this year. The smaller volume has resulted in decent prices for Israeli grapefruit. They decreased somewhat when European grapefruit entered the market, but for the first time in years, cultivators are considering planting more grapefruit trees. “It is too early to jump to conclusions, but it is definitely already better than in the past four or five years.”
Minneola always does well around Christmas
“We always try to start the minneola season as early as possible, to ensure good prices before the Christmas period starts,” Ziv continues. The early minneola started at the end of November, beginning of December. “You always run the risk of losing a percentage due to degreening, and this also means you have to ship the fruit sooner. However, this is nothing new. With minneola, we focus mainly on the Dutch and Belgian markets, and on the French market to a smaller extent.” The Israeli quantity of minneola is no longer increasing, and the volume is becoming smaller.
Orri has promising harvest
“The weather has been moderate so far, and quality looks promising as a result. However, we will have to wait and see how the market will absorb this volume.” Many exporters are trying to find markets in North America, rather than just focus on Europe, to spread the risks. But the large harvest is looking very promising.
Weak Euro
All citrus seasons in Israel started about one or two weeks earlier, because of the weather. Although volumes are slightly smaller, prices are good. However, many exporters are looking for dollar markets, because the dollar is stronger compared to the weak euro. All in all, the citrus situation in Israel is looking very well this year.
