The country's Plant Production and Marketing Board forecasts exports will double by 2020.

Israel's season for Jaffa Orri mandarins is running a week earlier than normal and projections are for volumes to rise 50% to 135,000 metric tons (MT) in 2017. 

In a release, the Plant Production and Marketing Board of Israel said harvests began in mid-December, allowing for fruit to be on shelves by Christmas.

"We set ambitious goals to increase Jaffa Orri export volumes in 2017, and hope to double exports of the fruit by 2020," says Israel's Plant Production and Marketing Board head of the citrus sector Tal Amit.

"Currently, available quantities are not sufficient to meet demand. This high demand is due to the fruit's remarkable flavor and other outstanding characteristics, and is evident in the growing number of markets for it. We're set to bring the Jaffa Orri to every premium supermarket, worldwide."

The board estimates production will reach 200,000MT in 2020, compared to 90,000MT last year. 

"This significant increase in the Orri harvest is a direct result of improving quality in cultivation, and in attaining better crop protection during growth," Amit explains.

The Jaffa Orri is a mandarin orange developed by scientists of the Volcani Research Center in Bet-Dagan, Israel.

The board says the mandarin was easy to peel with minimal seed content, and boasts an excellent, sweet flavor and "spicy aroma", combined with a long season and "particularly long shelf life".

Jaffa Orri is exported worldwide to 45 destinations. Most of the crop is exported to the European market (78%).

The most prominent countries in Europe for Orri mandarins are France (39%), the Netherlands, Scandinavia and Russia (7% each). Apart from Europe, 18% of the fruit is sent to North America and 4% to Asia Pacific.

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