Dates: work resumed
November 22, 2023 at 3:39 PM ,
Der AUDITOR
Optimistic outlook for the Israeli date market
Following the Hamas invasion on 7 October and the ensuing war, many sectors in Israel came to a temporary standstill. As Tal Dagul from the export company Agrifood now reports to FreshPlaza, the date industry has resumed work in order to meet the high demand, particularly from the European market. The expert states that the harvest has gone well despite the difficult situation in the country and that the quality is impressive, with many of the large dates in demand having been harvested. Nevertheless, the yield was a little lower than hoped for.
The packers are also continuing their work, even if many of them are not yet working at full capacity. They are working at 70-80% capacity, which means that the sorting process is slowing down and fewer goods are available for export. Dagul says that demand for Israeli dates - the Medjoul variety is particularly popular - is traditionally high at Christmas, and this year is no exception. European buyers in particular are clearing out Israeli stocks, even though prices have risen due to the current difficult situation in Israel and the general market dynamics. The costs for cultivation and processing are also still very high. Nevertheless, the market expert is confident that the Israeli date sector will soon return to its old form and thus be able to fulfil global market requirements.
Israel significantly increases exports to Germany
German date imports fell by 9.4% in the first month of the new season, September 2023, compared to the same month last year. Tunisia remains by far the most important supplier (-6.6% to 832 mt), followed by Israel, which increased its shipments to Germany by a whopping 130%, and Pakistan, which recorded declines of 14.8%. Significant increases in exports to Germany were also achieved by France and South Africa, although shipments here are still relatively low.
|
Date* imports, Germany, in mt |
|||
|
Supplier |
2022/23 |
2023/24 |
Diff. |
|
Tunisia |
890 |
831 |
-6.6% |
|
Israel |
41 |
94 |
130.0% |
|
Pakistan |
88 |
75 |
-14.8% |
|
Iran |
62 |
69 |
10.5% |
|
France |
1 |
42 |
4060.0% |
|
Netherlands |
44 |
30 |
-33.0% |
|
Turkey |
22 |
25 |
12.7% |
|
Egypt |
19 |
14 |
-24.7% |
|
South Africa |
2 |
8 |
285.0% |
|
Saudi Arabia |
3 |
6 |
93.3% |
|
Others |
161 |
16 |
-90.4% |
|
Total |
1,333 |
1,208 |
-9.4% |
|
Federal Statistical Office of Germany / September *08041000 Fresh or dried dates |
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