Fruit is arriving by air seven days a week directly into Europe with volumes quickly building up for the pre-Christmas and the New Year period. Steady volume supplies are expected to run until season's end in March next year.

This season all supplies for the UK are being grown and handled according to Agrexco's Ecofresh growing protocol, with a greater volume grown in modern, closed greenhouses.

'We have invested heavily in new pack house facilities in Tel Mond,' said Rani Friedlander, general manager at Agrexco UK. 'These improvements allow us to pack and label for customers maintaining a stable quality and sorting level. The fruit is handled less, thereby resulting in an improved product with less possible damage.' Agrexco is also delivering samples of new varieties to customers this season as part of its commitment to ongoing variety development. 'We are testing the market for these new varieties and from the feedback, we can get a clearer view of what is required for next season,' said Friedlander. 'Our aim is to find a better balance between taste, eating quality, appearance and a lower level of mis-shapes in order to attain a stable production curve.'

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