Israeli avocado blooms in Europe
Avocados grown in Israel are a huge hit in Europe; after being termed a 'super food,' avocado consumption has exploded all around the world; Israeli farmers are set to strike it big from the fad.
Avocados have been deemed a "super food" as part of the global health trend over the last few years leading to a 20% increase in demand for these fruits. There is now so much demand all around the world, that avocado growers around the planet are unable to keep up. This is one of the reasons that avocados cost between NIS 20–30 a kilo, and why Israeli growers prefer to export their products abroad.
Israeli avocados are of the Haas variety and have a rougher skin, and make up approximately 30 percent of the European winter market. The ones who gain the most from this are the kibbutzim, who control 80% of the market share.
There are 70,000 dunams of avocado orchards. Avocado trees yield fruit only after three years.
Only Israeli dates are sold in Europe for a higher price than avocados.
Israel has exported 100,000 tons of avocados so far in 2016, and is one of the only countries which exports to Europe in the winter, as South American grower countries export to Europe in the summer only.
Demand for the produce has resulted in more avocado orchards being planted in Israel, with the Granot fruit company planting an additional 5,000 dunams of trees. The company, which has until now only worked with kibbutzim, has expanded operations to work with its first Moshav—Sde Warburg—which has agreed to lease its land to the company.
Giora Marom, avocado manager for Granot, said that "there are 80 million people in Germany, and there has been a 20% increase in avocado demand every year. This has been a really good year in terms of harvest and price. Another reason that the Israeli avocado is being sold at such a great price abroad is that we only export through two companies: Milpri which is part of the Milouot company, and Mahadrin which is part of Granot. Meanwhile, other produce, such as peppers, are exported by many different exporters. They are in constant competition with each other, which drives the prices down."
