The European market is craving the new South African date crop

This year's South African Medjool date crop is somewhat delayed. "Harvesting began about three weeks…

This year's South African Medjool date crop is somewhat delayed. "Harvesting began about three weeks late due to the rain and colder weather," says Laurent La Morella of Belgian importer Lorre. "However, the market is craving this new crop. The large Israeli Medjools are almost completely sold out. Since they'll arrive on an almost empty market, the South African harvest should also sell out very quickly."

Laurent is satisfied with the new crop's quality. "Their flavor and structure are excellent, and the volumes are at about the same level as last year. Currently, 60% has already been harvested, and by mid-April, that will be 90%." Prices will be a bit higher than last year, says the importer. "The all-too-familiar higher transport cost issue means everything transported here will be more expensive. That, of course, affects everyone in the chain."

With Ramadan fast approaching, there is again considerably more demand for dates. "That demand rises every year. I'm, however, expecting a slight decline, as they'll cost more. People are increasingly considering that. The crop will eventually be sold, but it will take a little longer than in other years. It being three weeks late doesn't really help either."

This year, transportation is much more problematic for Laurent too. "Every year, there are issues shipping the containers on time, but even more so this year. The Covid pandemic has obviously greatly affected this. There are still quite a few delays at certain ports, which delays the unloading of cargo," he says.

Laurent specializes in the Medjool brand and gets dates from Israel, Jordan, and South Africa, so he can supply them year-round. ''I work alone, so over the years, I've chosen to specialize in the Medjool date. However, there are other types of dates available, like Bahri, Deglet Nour, or Iranian."

"I only sell premium quality, but can, if asked, get other quality dates too. I communicated this well to my customers who want to spend a little less. For example, when there's high demand around Ramadan. The dates' quality is then not necessarily lower; they just look and taste different," concludes Laurent.