Locals in Israel are said to prefer their locally grown bananas. The organic bananas grown in different areas of the country fetch double the price of conventional imported bananas a grower in the North of the country reports.
Yanki Litani, an Israeli banana and avocado orchard manager at Hanita Kibbutz in Northern Israel, has a small area of where they grow the organic bananas. "We have have certified organic bananas that grow in our plantations. A local body does the inspections for the certifications. We've got lots of banana plantations across the country. Bananas in Israel are grown from the North to the South in the country."
Hanita Kibbutz has organic banana plantations of 30 Dunams (3 hectares), based in the North about 2.5 km's from the Lebanese border. The banana plantations are covered with net, with the Grand Naine banana variety, developed in Israel, as the most widely grown. "Our locally grown bananas are more expensive than regular bananas. They are sold at double the price here in Israel. We harvest 36,674 kg during the 2022/23 season."
Despite being a country known for its deserts and warm climate, Israel received a lot of winter rain that allows banana growing. Litani explains: "We had 800 mm of rain just this season. The challenges we face are the hot climate that affects the growth of the bananas. They grow slower when it is hot. We grow the bananas under net because it also helps to manage the parasites and everything."
He says the Israeli's are very supportive of the local fresh produce sector, with locally grown produce preferred during this time of war. "Right now, because of the war, people in Israel are looking for the local production of fruit and vegetables. They want to see the bananas from Israel, they prefer to buy them to help the local agricultural sector. We are able to sell more bananas than we are able to produce due to the strong local demand," states Litani.
Good 2024 avocado season
He says the Hanita Kibbutz also had a satisfactory 2024 avocado season. "Our production reached 2,000 tons. The season was very good, we exported 90% of our volumes to European markets. There was big demand and pricing for our avocados in Europe too," concludes Litani.
For more information:
Yanki Litani
Hanita Kibbutz
Tel: +972 52 374 9704
Email: yankihanita@gmail.com