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The Israeli date industry continues to grow: Israel will start exporting to Australia

The potential of the Australian market is estimated at 80 tons of dates per year, and after a coordination meeting between the Ministries of Agriculture it was agreed that Israel will enter this market, which currently imports from Iran, the USA and Jordan

• Dates

Eli Ashkenazi

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National pride. Gadid Tamarim in Kibbutz Afikim (Photo: Inbal Inbari)

The palm threshing season opened this week and with it good news for farmers: Israel will start exporting dates to Australia. Following meetings and coordination between the Israeli Ministry of Agriculture and its Australian counterpart, Israel received official approval a few days ago from the Australian authorities to export fresh dates from Israel to Australia. These are the permits needed to prevent the transfer of pests and lesions onto agricultural produce. The threshing season lasts about two months and the Ministry of Agriculture hopes that the farmers will be able to export to the new destination this year.

Almost all date consumption in Australia is supplied by imports reaching about 8,000 tonnes per year. Australia's sources of supply are mainly Iran, the United States and Jordan. It is estimated that the potential of the Australian market for Israel is estimated at about 800 tons of dates per year, about 10% of the market. The Australian consumes about 340 grams of dates each year on average, compared to about 260 grams in Europe.

Israeli date growers export dates to many countries in the European Union as well as to the United States, China, Nigeria, Brazil and more. The total export of dates in 2019 was about 26,800 tons, which is an increase of 168% compared to 2009 when the export of dates was only about 10,000 tons. In Israel, dates are grown along the Syrian-African rift in the Arava, Beit She'an and Jordan valleys. From the Red Sea in the south to the Sea of ​​Galilee in the north, thanks to the heat that prevails in this area. Israel is the world leader in the production of Majhool date palms and most of the date trees in Israel are Majhool trees (655,000 trees), and accordingly over 80% of Israeli exports are Majhool dates, and the remaining 20% ​​are mainly palm light.

The date crop in Israel is about 43,000 tons of dates, 19,000 of them for local consumption, and the rest for export. Compared to the US which produces only about 15,000 tons.

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