Israel – a mango powerhouse

In the mid 1980s you could not find so much as one mango tree in Israel. Fast forward 20 years, and Israel not only has them – it is now one of the Middle East's biggest exporters of this exotic fruit. Menachm Shoham from Mosah Ramot owns of one of Israel's largest mango orchards and processing plants in Israel. What started as a family business now processes over 300,000 fruits daily, making it the largest exporter in the region. The Shoham's plant exports some 8,000 tons of mangos a year, to Europe, the United States and even some Persian Gulf states. The rest is marketed in Israel. Commercial Mango orchards sprouted in Israel only about 25 years ago and are centered mostly in northern Israel, where the climate is best for it, Reuven Dor, of the Israel Plants Production and Marketing Board noted. The processing plant (Photo: Nimrod Glickman) Israel now has 4,200 acres of mango orchards, which house some 100,000 trees, cared for by 800 growers. Israel produces some 40,000 tons of mangos a year, and is one of the six main exporters to Europe, alongside Peru, Brazil, Spain, the Ivory Coast and Pakistan. According to Dor, Israel leads the field of mango research and development. "In that respect, we're the best growers in the world, with the best fruit-per-acre ratio. We're also advanced in creating new varieties of mangos, and we've already patented six varieties – Maya, Shelly, Omer, Tali, Noa and Agam." Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter