ISRAEL

Feedback from the Trade on Their Plans and Interest in the USA Pear Season:

Importers express interest to continue USA Pear loads throughout the season. At the same time, the duty-free quota on US fruits set by the Israeli government presents a certain limit to volume potential.

Expectations for Any Freight or Logistics Challenges:

The vessels from the following major container lines are calling ports of Haifa and Ashdod: MSC and Maersk. Hapag Llloyd The Atlantic Loop 7 (AL7) service continues to call at the Port of Haifa, though the availability of reefer plugs and loading ports must be checked.

Opportunities in Your Market for Specific Varieties, Sizes, and Grades:

While the local varieties show different quality grades and often are of small size, imported fruit is always category 1 and primarily big sizes (70mm+ and larger).

Update on the Competition in the Market:

Currently, the main volume of pears is the local Spadona in different sizes (starting from 55mm+ to 70 mm+), but additionally, the following fruit is found on the market: Sand Pears and Nashi Pears 68-75mm+, cat 1 – China (harvesting season is now); Anjou Pears and Golden Russet Bosc Pears 70mm+, cat 1 – Argentina (Southern hemisphere crop harvested in Feb/Mar 2025 – the season normally lasts until August, but the CA storage technology extends the duration of the season considerably); Santa Maria pears 70mm+ cat 1 – Greece (fresh crop) – though in minimal volumes as found on the wholesale market.

Political or Economic Issues Impacting Imports, Retail, or Consumer Behavior:

After October 2023, both the impact on local agricultural production and geopolitical tensions resulted in consumers being encouraged to pay attention to the country of origin and choose local Israeli fruit. At the same time, the population is very grateful to the efforts made by the US authorities to put an end to the conflict, which may result in greater loyalty of the customers to US-origin fruit.

Other Brief Comments:

There was a recent article in the Jerusalem Post dedicated to a call for reducing agricultural imports and giving more support to the local farmers, as voiced during Israel’s Fruit Growers’ Association's national conference on October 20, 2025 - https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-871561. USD to ILS ROE down 3.22% in October 2025: from 3.36 to 3.26 ILS/USD; average October 25 3.30 ILS/USD, down from 3.62 in January 2025 (top was 3.70 in April 2025).