The mango harvest for 2026 gets underway this week across key growing zones near the Sea of Galilee, the Jordan Valley, and the Valley of Springs with grim projections. The sector faces a sharp shortfall, with official figures pointing to just 30 percent of normal orchard output. This stands in direct contrast to the 2025 season, which saw bumper crops but ran into major sales hurdles.

The Zemach Avocado packing house will process fruit from growers in those regions. Zemach Corporation CEO Moshe (Shiko) Domovitz noted that last year brought oversized volumes, yet export outlets struggled because of retail chain boycotts overseas and steep duties on Brazilian mangoes that flooded Europe after being rerouted from the United States. The closed Gaza market also removed a key channel for excess Israeli fruit.

This year presents the opposite picture, with yields at roughly 30 percent of potential. Overseas buyers await Israeli mangoes, Gaza remains open, and elevated prices are forecast that may offset the smaller volumes, Domovitz added.

Recall that 2025 export barriers stemmed from foreign retail boycotts plus large Brazilian quotas in the United States, diverting produce to Europe and crowding out Israeli shipments. The sealed Gaza border further limited options for surplus fruit.

A longtime grower from Moshav Ramot in the southern Golan Heights captured the downturn: last year he harvested 96 tons, but this season he expects only 15 to 20 tons. Some neighbors near Almagor report near total crop failure.

The main culprit is harsh spring weather swings. Buds meant to form flowers, leaves, or branches instead faced extreme heat, cold snaps, untimely rain, and humidity that destroyed most blossoms around the Sea of Galilee. Remaining fruits are often undersized and unmarketable due to lack of pollination.

Israel's mango orchards cover about 24,000 dunams and normally produce 85,000 tons annually, centered in the Sea of Galilee and Beit She'an Valley with smaller plantings in the Sharon and south. This year's output will reach only around 35,000 tons, lifting prices in local and foreign markets.

While growers manage recent spring effects, fresh research points to a tech fix for future climate risks. Mango cultivation here contends with April and May hamsin winds plus intense sun that can cut yields by up to 40 percent. A multi-year trial led by Dr. Navot Galpaz at Northern R&D in the MIGAL Research Institute tested shade nets of 30 to 40 percent density. These lowered temperatures for air, leaves, and fruit, sharply cutting fruitlet drop after hamsin events and sunburn losses while boosting quality fruit at harvest.

Building on the findings, the net house approach long used in banana groves is now entering mango orchards. Kibbutz Masada in the Jordan Valley installed Israel's first such structure over 50 dunams ahead of this season to buffer against weather threats going forward.