Israel: Citrus Annual
Link to report:
Israel’s planted area with citrus in marketing year (MY) 2021/22 is forecast to be 16,200 hectares (ha) with no change from the area planted in MY 2020/21. The productive area is estimated at 15,350 ha. In past years, the main challenges citrus farmers and exporters faced were weather conditions and market prices. This year, for the second time, farmers had to manage COVID-19 restrictions, which affected their field work, packing house operations, and shipping logistics. Also, this year farmers and exporters faced sea logistics challenges, soaring prices for sea container transport, lack in available sea containers, and long delays in the sea ports. Even though weather conditions throughout most of the season were favorable, a ten-day period with dry winds and extreme heat in May led to the falling of flowers and fruit buds. Later in the season, higher than normal temperatures led to greater water demand, causing high expenses for the farmers.
