The first Israeli organic peppers arrived in Europe this week, followed next week by the first conventional peppers. "The change to the organic market is perfect this year," says Frank Mosterd of Gilad. “The conventional market is a different story. From what I hear, the first containers come in this week. The first conventional peppers will arrive by end of next week. This is because we are mainly handling export to Russia during the first few weeks."
Pepper prices are at depressing levels at the moment. Due to favorable weather in Spain, the supply there is currently hefty, and the last Dutch peppers are still being harvested.
America
Next week the Israeli conventional pepper season is slated to start at Gilad. Last week, the first organic peppers already entered the market. "Most of what we have now is going to America,” says Frank. “The U.S. market is making a good go of it.”
Unlike the organic market, America is not a major market for conventional peppers. "Mexico seems to be taking over that market. We go to Europe and Russia. This year, we can hopefully start with better prices, but at the moment the prices are not good. One can only hope that they’ll recover soon.”
The Israeli pepper acreage remained virtually the same, but the acreage of Gilad has seen expansion. "A few growers more", says Frank. "With each passing year we grow a bit larger." The proportions this season are about 60% red, 20-30% yellow and 10-20% orange.
www.giladltd.co.il