Temperatures as low as -4°C on Monday night have caused severe damage to crops in the Arava Valley in Israel; the worst cold snap to hit Israel since 1997.
“Nearly all of Israel had very cold temperatures, which is unusual in itself, but for levels to fall to -4°C in the valley is quite exceptional,” said David Crossland of Arava Growers. “The frosts have caused a lot of damage to melon, cucumber and tomato crops, and more moderate damage to peppers and herbs.”
Agrexco told freshinfo it is checking on each and every grower, village and area to assess accurately how much actual damage there is. “There is damage, but to what extent we still don’t know,” said a spokesperson. "Agrexco is concerned about damage to crops...we will be in a better position early next week to give more information."
The Israeli government has already come under pressure from growers to declare a nation-wide natural disaster, which would oblige it to pay out compensation to the worst affected. The ministry of agriculture has officially estimated NIS75 million (£10.2m) of damage at this early stage. The cold spell is ongoing though, and insiders expect losses to far outweight that figure.
The true scope of the damage will become clearer over the next few days, said Yaron Solomon of the Israel Farmers Union."We're still shocked by the extent of the damage. Not everyone has understood the full scope of it yet," Solomon told The Jerusalem Post. "We're demanding a declaration of total national emergency because these kind of temperatures haven't been seen for 10-12 years. Everyone has been affected by this, in the Negev, the Jordan Valley, the north - everywhere. It's going to cause a massive loss of income for farmers," he said.
Crossland added that growers are still trying to assess the extent of the damage but that in general, product grown under nets has fared less well than that grown under plastic tunnels. “We have heard early estimates that put average losses at about 30 per cent, but it is still early days,” he said.
The timing of the frosts is extremely unfortunate for growers, as this period is their main window of opportunity on export markets. “This is their key point in the season, especially on peppers and tomatoes, and it will be quite important to the financial well-being of growers this year,” said Crossland.
The main impact on future availability for the UK market is expected to come through in the next two to three weeks. “That is when the problems will really come to be felt,” he warned.
And one importer told freshinfo this morning. "Our understanding is that there will be significant shortages within a couple of weeks, but try explaining that to people who are trying to get more margin for year-end. It's already been a tough start to the year, and this will make it difficult for a few more weeks at least."
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