China's Grapefruit Imports Doubled in 3 Years, Israel's Jaffa Expands Exports To China

In recent years, China's grapefruit import volume and import value have continued to grow, from 60,000 tons in 2019 to 79,000 tons in 2020. In the just-concluded 2021, grapefruit has ushered in explosive growth.

 

According to customs statistics, in the first 11 months of 2021 alone, China's grapefruit import volume will reach 120,000 tons, which is twice the total import volume in 2019, and the import value has reached 830 million yuan.

 

As a global exporter of high-end citrus, Israel plans to increase the export of grapefruit to the Asian market, and has listed China as one of the important markets.

 

Jaffa is the national brand of Israeli citrus. All the citrus exported from Israel use the same trademark, adopt advanced scientific planting technology, and produce in accordance with unified agricultural product quality standards. Similarly, the Jaffa trademark also represents the high quality of Israeli citrus, which can only be exported through strict testing of fruit sweetness, acidity, number of seeds, peel color and even scars. Even Queen Elizabeth of England has a soft spot for Jaffa citrus.

 

The name of Jaffa comes from the city of Jaffa, which was once the only important port for exporting citrus fruits in history. Later, Jaffa merged with Tel Aviv and was called Tel Aviv for short. The local importance of citrus is evident in the name, with Tel Aviv often affectionately referred to as the "Big Orange", just as New York is known as the "Big Apple".

 

Israel has ideal natural conditions for fruit growing. The temperature changes between day and night are large but not drastic, so that the fruits produced here have excellent performance in sugar and acidity. Jaffa grapefruit is available in red and white. The red grapefruit is bright in color, sweet and delicious, and very juicy. And it is almost seedless, so children can chew it to their heart's content. Different from other grapefruits, Jaffa grapefruit has another feature that it is very easy to peel. You can easily peel it off by hand by making a cut on the peel with a knife.

 

The export season of Israeli grapefruit can last from November to May of the following year, just to make up for the lack of domestic fresh fruit supply in spring. Before 2018, the annual export volume of Israeli grapefruit has been maintained at around 60,000 tons. At the beginning of the 2018/19 production season, the output of Israeli grapefruit declined due to the weather. In addition to the impact of the epidemic on shipping in the past two years, the export volume of grapefruit fell below 60,000 tons, but the export to China was still on the rise. In the 2020/21 season, Israeli grapefruit exports reached 54,000 tons, of which red-fleshed grapefruit accounted for 36% of all citrus exports.

 

According to a new report released by the USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), the 2021/22 Israeli grapefruit production will reach 130,000 tons, and the export volume will also return to a high of 63,000 tons. The new season is expected to bring more Jaffa grapefruit to China, bringing the wonderful taste from the Mediterranean to domestic consumers.