A leading Israeli pomegranate grower is looking forward to a 'regular to strong' season, with a combination of good production and favorable market conditions. 

Edom Fruits product manager Amir Porat told www.freshfruitportal.com the harvest would begin in the next few days once the fruit has reached the desired taste and appearance.

"We will probably start next week with the harvest - we are waiting for the fruit to be fully mature," Porat said.

"For the last two weeks you can enjoy the fruit but we want it to be of high sugar content and a deeper color. So we decided to wait until next week."

In total, Porat said he was expecting to produce some 2,000-2,500 metric tons (MT) of the fruit.

"The production looks very good - the trees are full of all varieties. It looks like it's going to be a good season," he said.

Russia and Europe are the biggest foreign markets for Edom Fruits, with the Netherlands, Germany, and the U.K. being the most important European destinations.

Porat said the markets were 'strong every year', and the Israeli pomegranate season normally kicked off around the time exports from other regions of the world were slowing down.

"At the moment the market is flooded with pomegranates from the U.S., Central America, Chile and Peru, and the next few weeks will be Israeli pomegranates," he said.

Edom Fruits, a sister company of Edom UK, grows the popular Wonderful cultivar, along with Emek, Aco, Hershkowitz, and its exclusive variety called Shir.

"We're going to start with Aco and Emek, then moving on to Hershkowitz, Shir, and finally Wonderful," Porat said.

"The Shir is like a combination between the Herskowitz and the Wonderful. What's unique about the variety is its large size and shelf life for an early variety,"Porat said.

"It's also very red externally, and regarding taste the main difference from the is that it's sour-sweet because it was aimed for the Russian market."

Porat said he believed the ongoing conflict in the region should not affect the pomegranate season as exports would likely be able to leave the country via at least one of the ports.

"We have two main ports here, and so if they're going to close one for security, we'll still have the other one," he said.

"We are all hoping and praying for peace on both sides."

Photo: www.shutterstock.com

www.freshfruitportal.com