It's a strange season again for Israeli peppers. Importers say that the volumes haven't really gotten going so far. Due to the warm summer weather there was a lot less volume going from the first load, and this was primarily smaller sizes. In November and December the demand from both the United States and Russia for Israeli peppers was good, which meant the volumes for the European market lagged behind. Russia in particular has turned from the 'pushing market' it was last year into a demanding market.
It wasn't until this year that the export of Israeli peppers to Europe got going. This export started with high prices on the European market, but now the pepper prices have dropped to a low level again. If the price level two weeks ago was still between 12 and 14 Euro - due to the Spanish dip - red and yellow peppers are now selling for 7.50 to 8.50 Euro in Europe and orange peppers for 9-10 Euro.
As far as quality goes the Israeli peppers are estimated slightly higher than last season. Although the prices are a lot higher than last year, due to the low production the question is whether the season will end on a high note. At the moment the nights in Israel are cold and the nightly temperatures are around freezing, which means the peppers aren't colouring through too well. Larger volumes are expected in a few weeks.