More demand for grapefruits in Asian markets

The citrus season has begun in Israel. According to Oron Ziv, they have already started with red pomelo. They have begun harvesting grapefruit, but expect to only start shipping from 24 September onwards, because of holidays next week. The crop for this year is normal with regards to volume, he says.

Florida
“We are expecting a good season”, Oron continues. “Especially after the effect of Hurricane Irma in Florida. The last South African and Mexican fruit are still on the market, but with low volume, and they are selling at very high levels.” He added that the niche available for grapefruit on the Asian markets is growing. “There is higher demand for this citrus fruit from Asian markets, like China, Japan and Korea."

This is partly due to the losses experienced in Florida as a result of the devastation caused by Hurricane Irma. In addition to this, the availability of grapefruits from this US state has been declining every year. “This is making the Asian markets more open to developing relationships with other regions, including Israel”, says Oron. He added that a bigger percentage of their product will be sent to Asia, in partnership with global brands which already have a foothold in the region.

Less pressure for early harvest
The grapefruit season is long, lasting from now until May. In the past, the peak for Israeli grapefruit was at the beginning of the season, which sometimes caused problems with size and weight. There has recently been a change in traditional markets. Some of the European retailers, and the Asian markets, now fix programmes for the whole year. “This means less pressure to harvest early”, he says. He added that there is a small window to export Israeli grapefruit to the US. “This is mainly for big sizes at the end of the season”, Oron says.

Orri and Mineola
BeFresh Europe also sells Mineola and Orri madarins. The Mineolas will be ready to harvest in December and Oron is expecting a normal crop this year. For the Orri, he does, however expect, a crop of between 20 and 30% lower crop as compared to last year. The season for this fruit only starts in late December/early January. “Normally after a big crop, you have a season with a lower crop”, he says. Some growers have, according to Oron, reduced the acreage they use for Orri crops. “There are much better alternatives, like grapefruit”, he says.

For more information:
Oron Ziv
BeFresh Europe Ltd.
Tel: +972 4 619 1736
oron@befreshcorp.net
www.befreshcorp.com

Publication date: Mon 18 Sep 2017