Regarding the situation with Russia, Malou says, “Arava wants to continue working as it is used to, shipping half to Russia and the other half to Europe. Ultimately, I want to continue delivering produce to the clients with as much normality as possible.”She also states that, “It might be possible, due to extreme price differences between Europe and Russia that we’ll have to ship more volumes in either direction in order to secure the best prices possible for the growers.” Another issue is the rouble’s devaluation, which involves an additional risk. “I don’t have a crystal ball, so I don’t know exactly what’s going to happen, but we’ll just strive to deliver to the markets, as we have always done. If drastic changes take place, we will simply have to adapt. Additionally, we also have programmes that need to be adhered to.”
When it comes to citrus fruits, Israel currently faces competition mainly from Turkey, Morocco and Egypt. “Normally, a lot of citrus is imported by Russia, and that benefits these countries, because they can produce cheaper and of course Turkey is geographically closer. They are also making great progress regarding cultivation.”
For peppers, Arava competes mainly with Spain, as well as Morocco to a lesser extent. “I have heard that the Dutch season will finish earlier, and we’ll also come in a little earlier, so that will be nice” states Malou.
Everything will depend on the market situation. "I'm really anxiously waiting to see how the season will start; it will most probably be quite an interesting season with all the developments following the Russian boycott.”
For more information:
Malou EvenV.P. Business Development & Global Sales
Arava Export Growers Ltd.
Tel : +972-3-972-8-104
malou@arv.co.il
www.arv.co.il