Following on from its recent initial commercial planting in California USA, Helix Australia has recently spent a week visiting waxflower growers in Israel.
The purpose of the visit by Helix Australia Managing Director Adrian Parsons was to see first hand current plantings of Helix waxflower in Israel as well as researching the potential to expand with new growers in the future.
Israel is the largest waxflower growing country in the world with an estimated 150-180 hectares under production producing in excess of 40 million stems per annum. The majority of the waxflower grown in Israel is exported to the Netherlands. In addition, there are direct exports to the United Kingdom, Central Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
Adrian Parsons said, "It was fantastic to see the Israel production in full swing and I saw some excellent quality waxflower on well managed farms with excellent harvest and logistics systems in place”.
“I had always assumed the Israel growing climate was all hot and dry with a sandy soil profile. Whilst this does constitute a high percentage of Israeli growing regions, I also saw some heavier soils and cooler climates at higher altitudes being used for later flowering or for alternative crops”.
The Israeli waxflower season typically starts in October with the peak harvest period December until late April/early May.
Parsons continued, "The detail around grading on stem length, stem weight and harvest stage was very impressive and shows a dedicated export focus from all the growers I visited.”
Helix Australia currently has 6 waxflower varieties under production in Israel and there are plans to expand this to 10-12 varieties in the near future. New Helix waxflower varieties being trialled and rolled out in Israel will focus on earlier flowering periods as well some unique flower shapes and colours.
For more information:
Helix Australia
adrian@helixaustralia.com.au
www.helixaustralia.com.au