Posts Tagged “Orri Jaffa Mandarins”
Tel Aviv – The Plant Production and Marketing Board of Israel predicts 2019 will see significant increase in exports of the Orri Jaffa mandarin to the U.S. and Canada. The organization set goals for expanding export of its leading, easy-to-peel mandarin in response to the increased demand for high-quality, easy-peelers.
It carries a particularly long shelf life and appears later in the season compared to other easy peelers – from January into May.
The American citrus market has been growing significantly in recent years and is composed largely of imports. The mandarin sub-category is the largest in the citrus category, accounting for some 40 percent of the citrus market. More than 230,000 tons of easy-to-peel mandarins are shipped into the U.S. annually, at a total value of more than $1 billion. This is in addition the 1 million tons produced domestically.
Over the past 5 seasons, citrus exports from Israel to North America have increased from 3,000 tons to 9,000 tons last season, of which about 5,300 tons are easy-to-peel mandarins. This season, export of Orri Jaffa mandarin alone is expected to reach 9,000 tons, constituting a potential 70 percent growth.
In spite of this significant rise in consumption of the mandarins in the U.S., consumption per capita is among the lowest in the world, about 2.5 kg per year. But based on the rapidly increasing demand, that figure is forecast to double. In Canada that figure has almost doubled exceeding 4.6 Kg per capita.
The Jaffa Orri is a mandarin developed by scientists at the Israeli Volcani Research Center. This easy-to-peel mandarin retains an excellent, fresh, sweet flavor with a fleshy texture, and mouthful juiciness, while bearing virtually no seeds.
Data from studies conducted in recent years confirm a doubling of per-capita consumption of easy-to-peel mandarins in the past two decades. This coincides to a significant increase in the intake of easy-peelers in the American market, mainly in place of traditional oranges. In recent years, this phenomenon has led to a sharp upsurge in the import of easy-peelers to America, leading to the establishment of new groves.
“The US market for easy-to-peel mandarins is substantial and holds promise as a developing target market for Israeli citrus exports,” says Tal Amit, Director of the Citrus Division in the Plant Production and Marketing Board of Israel. “The success of easy-peeler mandarins in particular can be easily credited to the fruit’s great flavor and unbeatable convenience.”
Orri Jaffa mandarin currently is exported to 45 countries worldwide. Most of the yield is exported to Europe (78 percent). The most prominent outlets in Europe of the popular fruit are: France (39 percent), the Netherlands, Scandinavia and Russia (7 percent each). About 18 percent of the fruit is shipped to North America, and 4 percent to Asia Pacific.
The Plant Production and Marketing Board of Israel was established in 2004 to assist farmers in advancing their agricultural missions. The board promotes the Jaffa brand and other registered citrus industry brands. It helps kick-start pioneering R&D projects, executes centralized crop protection initiatives, assists organizations in meeting phytosanitary standards and insures growers against weather-related losses.