Pepper Export Review.pdf

2016-17 export season of peppers from the Central Arava:
83,000 tons were exported from the Central Arava and 5,570 tons from the Jordan Valley, totaling 88,570 tons.
The reasons for the decrease in pepper quantities in the 2015-16 season were:
1. Farmers were required to reduce pepper cultivation areas by 15% in order to receive grants to transition to other crops.
2. High temperatures in the fall damaged early planting.
3. Rodent problems later in the season.
These problems led to a decrease of 1-2 tons per dunam.
The reasons for the increase in pepper export quantities in the 2016-17 season were:
1. An increase of approximately 1,300 dunams in pepper cultivation areas.
2. Favorable weather during planting led to a significant increase in pepper yields.
3. There were no significant quality issues throughout the season.
The favorable weather and early planting dates led to a large harvest in November-December, creating surpluses and low prices.
Only from the Arava, for example, approximately 44,000 tons were shipped by the end of December, accounting for almost 50% of the total export for the season.
The rest of the season was characterized by moderate quantities, allowing for relatively high prices.
The conclusion is that the total quantity has less impact on the price, and what affects the price more is the distribution throughout the season (late October to mid-April).