Israel supplies 50% of world's medjool dates
Israeli dates may still only make up a very small fraction of the global date harvest, but in the special Medjool variety, Israelis excel by supplying 50 percent of the world’s demand, explained Buki Glasner, agricultural manager of Hadiklaim, a cooperative for date growers all over the country.
Glasner said, there are a total of about 4,500 hectares (11,120 acres) worth of date palm trees, generating in 2012 about 31,000 tons of dates and 21,000 specifically of the Medjool variety.
Of the total, about 50% were exported, with about 10,000 to 11,000 of the Medjools in particular going abroad, Glasner explained.
"Israel dominates the Medjool market," he said.
Of the 31,000 tons of dates generated during last year’s harvest, farmers in the Hadiklaim cooperative account for about 20,000 tons, of which they exported around 8,500 tons, according to Glasner.
All in all, date tree cultivators are very pleased with their 2012 export figures, as the numbers represent a 20% jump from those of the previous year, according to Glasner.
Total date production worldwide is 8 million tons annually, but the brunt of those dates are consumed in their countries of origin: Pakistan, Tunisia, Iran, Egypt and other countries in the Middle East-North African region. As far as exports go, the largest quantity – 350,000 tons annually – moves from Pakistan to India, while about 100,000 tons go from Iran and Tunisia to Europe, Glasner said.
Of Israel’s small share of the global date market, about 50% of those exported end up in Europe – predominantly in the UK, France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Holland, according to Glasner.
However, Israel also finds a large market in North America, as well as increasing demands in the Far East, South America and Australia.
Source: jpost.com
