The harsh desert and semi-arid climate of Israel is ideal for trialling new desirable traits, particularly for subtropical fruit. Growers from around the world import rootstock, budwood, and new varieties of mango, avocado, and litchi trees from Israel. The supplier is Banai Ltd., an Israel-based grower and exporter, that also supplies international agricultural consultants.
Alon Ram, Banai Nurseries Chief Agronomist.
According to Daniel Banai, CEO and second-generation owner, who is a qualified agronomist, Banai Ltd. is a very diversified company. "We specialize in mango, litchi, and avocado growing and plant propagation. We have our own plantations of these fruit types, covering about 45 hectares in total. We maintain extensive mother plot gardens for rootstocks, budwood, and various other plant materials. Furthermore, we export these materials worldwide and work with growers in Spain, South Africa, California. We also have a nursery in Zambia. Additionally, we operate our own nursery in Israel and collaborate with partners globally."
His father, Yaron Banai, started the business in 1979. It is located on the northern side of the Sea of Galilee, close to the ancient town of Capernaum and the Mount of Beatitudes. The company specializes in four areas: their own farms where they grow mango, litchi, and avocado; plant propagation, from which Banai Ltd. exports a significant amount of plant material worldwide. They provide consultancy services to 40 large-scale farms in Israel and around the world, including Mexico, the U.S., Ivory Coast, Zambia, and South Africa. They also have their own nurseries.
The company has five agronomists who work together, specializing in the fruit types they grow and manage."We provide consultancy services on irrigation, varieties, pruning, and fertilizing. We work with breeders and represent some patented varieties in Israel. Also, we do a lot of propagation. Not only that, but we export to Europe as our main market, and also to the U.S. and Canada. We ship mango to Europe and Canada, and litchi to Europe, Canada and the U.S. We export fruit through Shoham packing house, located nearby," says Banai.
The company represents patented varieties from around the world. "We have exclusivity for the Green-Motion avocado program from Eurosemillas and UC for their new avocado breeding varieties; we're the master licensee in Israel. Also, we have a contract with the Volcani Centre, granting us exclusivity for selecting and propagating all new mango varieties in Israel. We export plant material and seeds to the U.S., Spain, South Africa, Turkey, Japan and India. We send micro avocado plants, already grafted, to India," says Banai.
Why are growers interested in new varieties?
"In Israel, there has been a selection of rootstocks for many years. Growers are interested in new varieties and rootstocks that provide better performance and can overcome alternate bearing. They want rootstocks that can cope with salt resistance and water stress, as heat is a significant limiting factor. In new varieties, we're looking for high yield and high density, with resistance to various soil, heat, and climatic conditions. For example, during a recent heatwave, one lychee variety remained unaffected while another was badly hit, and the same was true for mango. We conduct our testing in Israel, but in the future, we may extend it to other countries. Because of the hot, dry climate and soil salinity, Israel is well-known for developing and testing new varieties. It is the best place to do research because we have the harshest conditions," concludes Banai
For more information:
Daniel Banai
Banai Ltd.
Tel: +972 54-622-4601
[email protected]
www.banaifarming.com