Between late June and early July 2025, as the warm, golden Mediterranean breeze sweeps across the northern hills of Israel, clusters of bright red lychees begin to ripen across nearly 10 hectares of farmland on the outskirts of HaBonim city.

This marks the busiest and most anticipated season of the year at the modern farm operated by the Bananot Hahof Agricultural Cooperative - a celebration of harvest and a testament to nearly a decade of perseverance and ingenuity.

According to a Vietnam News Agency correspondent in Israel, Uri Shpatz, head agronomist at Bananot Hahof, said the farm has been cultivating the Vietnamese lychee variety known as Hong Long (also called U Hong) since 2016.

He noted, however, that they were not the first to introduce Vietnamese lychees to the Middle East. The variety was originally imported to Israel 15–18 years ago by the Israeli Lychee Growers Association in collaboration with the Agricultural Research Organization (ARO).

The lychee trees typically begin bearing fruit in their fourth year and reach full productivity after six to seven years. "Introducing a new crop to unfamiliar soil and climate requires years of adaptation," Shpatz explained.

From the start, the project faced significant challenges: arid soil, low rainfall, and wide temperature fluctuations - all conditions that contrast sharply with the lychee’s natural environment.

Known for being a “temperamental” plant, lychee trees are slow-growing, require a long flowering period, and are highly sensitive to humidity, temperature, and even pruning techniques.

Undeterred, Bananot Hahof’s agricultural engineers spent years testing and adjusting their approach. They introduced drip irrigation systems, regulated microclimates, and developed a unique flowering induction method. After three to four years of refinement, the first healthy clusters of lychees appeared consistently.

According to Shpatz, “The Hong Long variety adapted well and now requires less technical intervention compared to the Mauritius variety we previously grew.” The Vietnamese lychee has proven to be more robust, yielding larger fruit with a superior flesh-to-seed ratio. Trust in this Vietnamese cultivar has been richly rewarded.

Today, the farm utilizes advanced microclimate sensors and precision agriculture technologies to optimize humidity, sunlight, and temperature for each zone. Not only do the lychee trees survive in this harsh terrain - they thrive. The farm now boasts a yield of 25 tons per hectare, an extraordinary figure for a fruit typically native to Vietnamese soil.

As the harvest season peaks from late June to mid-July, the farm transforms into a vibrant sea of red. Workers move quickly through the orchards, handpicking and sorting the fruit on-site. The lychees are packed the same day and transported in refrigerated trucks to Tel Aviv, Haifa, Jerusalem, and even supermarkets across Europe.

Shpatz explained that export rates vary annually depending on local supply and demand: “If the domestic market is flush with fruit, we export more - sometimes the majority of the harvest. In other years, we prioritize local consumption if domestic prices are more favorable than export margins.”

“European customers are captivated by the lychee’s natural aroma and delicate sweetness,” he added. “But due to the fruit’s extremely short post-harvest lifespan, logistics must be flawless - there is no room for error.” The main export markets for Israeli lychees include Germany, France, the UK, the Netherlands, and Italy.

In addition to lychees, Bananot Hahof is renowned for its production of bananas, pineapples, and grapes - traditional crops of the region. The cooperative works closely with top Israeli agricultural technology providers such as Netafim, Rivulis, and Metzer.

Most of their banana and pineapple varieties are sourced from Ginosar Agro, with some supplied by Rahan Meristems. Remarkably, their vineyard yield reaches up to 30 tons per hectare, and their grapes are considered among the finest in the world.

Bananot Hahof stands as a model of Israel’s modern agricultural cooperative - where tradition and innovation coexist. The farm is not only a production hub but also a center for R&D, pioneering irrigation methods, data-driven climate control, and supply chain optimization.

Though the initial investment was substantial, the outcome has been high-quality harvests that meet the strictest standards of both domestic and international markets. This is more than just a farm - it is a powerful symbol of innovation, resilience, and long-term vision in modern agriculture.

PV