The end of this week looks likely to signal the start of the Israeli early grape season with grower and supplier Galilee Export on track to increase volumes over forthcoming weeks. 

Vice president of marketing Eitan Zvi told www.freshfruitportal.com recent warm weather in Israel had provided ideal conditions for grapes following a batch of colder weather in the spring.

"The fruit quality looks good at the moment and harvest should start with limited volume and increasing volumes towards the end of May," he says.

"The spring was cold in comparison to the last five years and that is the reason why we are starting six or seven days later."

The main markets for grapes include Europe and Russia, with shipments departing from the country's main seaport at Haifa. The season is expected to last approximately four weeks.

In the grape category Galilee Export concentrates on the early season crop and grows varieties such as Early Sweet, Flame Seedless and the black seedless Dan Ben Hannah, a grape originating in Israel where it was selected from a cross between Black Mikveh and Alphonse Lavallee.

Zvi said Israeli grape growers had been receiving 'low returns' on the export market for around a decade now compared with much better prices on the domestic market, and so production had dwindled over recent years.

However, around 1,000 metric tons (MT) of early varieties will be exported by Galilee Export.

The decline in the country's grape export is echoed by another fruit marketer, Aviv Fruit Ltd, based just outside of Tel Aviv.

General manager Gil Givoni said Israel's 'heatwave' would impact on early season crops, but it was too early to forecast what sort of volumes would come through.

He also agreed grape growers - particularly in the Jordan Valley - were focusing efforts on the domestic market rather than overseas supply because of price pressures and a raft of 'political issues' that often posed challenges in the sector.

"We are getting ready for our grape season but it's not what it used to be in terms of exports. I'm not saying there is not grape export but if you look back some years ago where we managed to reach around 15,000 metric tons and now it is around 1,000 to 1,500MT, so it's nowhere near as significant as it used to be," he said.

"Aviv Fruit focuses on the niche market by supplying African countries like Ghana, Angola, Nigeria, Tanzania as well as other countries in the Indian Ocean."

Due to the lack of cold storage facilities in African countries, these markets are looking for a 'tough guy' in the grape world, according to Givoni.

"That is why we supply the Red Globe because it has a long shelf life and can be stored for much longer periods as it is generally much more resistant. This is the sort of grape the African markets want.

"I don't have the most up to date information from my colleagues for the forthcoming season, but I do know there were some climatic issues in as much as we've had a heatwave recently. We are waiting to make an evaluation of the crop.

"We will be starting our exports in July hopefully and running until the end of September or October. However, the focus in Israel is on the local market which is very strong especially for the early varieties from the Jordan Valley.

"The growers feel more comfortable as they get some very good prices and do not have to make the sort of investments that come with exports."

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