The Israeli stonefruit export campaign has just drawn to a close, with the last variety exported Autumn Red 440 plums.
Agrexco product manager Davidi Hayman told freshinfo: “It was not the best of seasons. Quality was very good and so were the volumes, but the situation in the market - exchange rates, recession, rising transport costs - meant that we could not get the best returns to the growers, who need to survive. As a result, we sold most of the fruit to the local market.”
Weather conditions initially affected the first half of the season, but from mid-season onwards, quality was good, according to Hayman.
However, it was a “disappointing season in terms of volume and sales”. “We consider the UK to be generally the best market to appreciate quality, but this year everyone talked money instead,” said Hayman.
“Volumes were considerably reduced. It is sad to say that the poor quality coming from Europe took precedence with the multiples, who cut back on the premium-quality lines stocked. The recession hit hard.”
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