The largest grower and exporter of citrus in Israel is leaving the country to grow avocados to meet the rising demand for the fruit, according to The Algemeiner.
Mehadrin has entered into a joint venture to grow avocados in Morocco, as ties between Israel and the North African kingdom deepen following the Abraham Accords. By doing this, they are looking to expand production to Africa and Latin America, hoping to produce avocado's year-round at lower costs.
“Planting the avocados in Morocco is part of a larger plan to be able to supply our European customers more easily than from Israel in terms of geography and in terms of more competitive costs,” Shaul Shelach, CEO of Mehadrin, told The Algemeiner.
“The strategy to grow avocados outside of Israel will be to have agricultural business in the Southern hemisphere like Africa, and some geographies in Latin America, which will be exactly the opposite part of the year to be harvesting avocados.”
Mehadrin's revenue comes in part from growing avocado and citrus, as well as Israel's prized medjool dates. Demand continues to outstrip supply, and avocado is expected to be the fastest growing commodity among fresh tropical fruits like mango and pineapple.
“Avocado is a superfood and the per capita consumption is growing very fast in the US and in Europe, while at the same time there are very large amounts of planting of avocado also in Israel, in Latin America, and in Africa,” Shelach remarked.
“What we experience today is that everyone is running after the avocado, as most of the year, there are some low stocks or shortages of avocados — which is not what will be the case five years from now.”
As of now, Mehadrin exports avocados grown in Israel during its growing season, October to either March or April.