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Last update - 11:22 27/04/2009
Iran and the Israeli 'citrus fruit conspiracy'
By Amiram Cohen and Eli Ashkenazi, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Jaffa, pomelos, Iran 

When Iranian shoppers discovered recently that they were apparently being offered Israeli pomelos for sale, a storm of protest swept the Islamic Republic.

The media showcased the contraband citrus, the warehouses where it was stored were shut down, and the authorities pledged to "bring to justice" the miscreants involved. A senior Iranian politician even accused the opposition of a "citrus fruit conspiracy."

The plot thickened when the BBC reported that the fruit - pomelit (a cross between a grapefruit and pomelo) sold abroad as "sweeties" - which were marketed under the brand-name Jaffa, had reached Iran via China.
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Chinese exporters may have re-exported to Iran pomelits exported from Israel to Japan and South Korea with a fake Jaffa label.

Israel has sold the rights to the brand-name Jaffa to producers and marketers of citrus fruit in various countries, and it no longer necessarily indicates the fruit was grown in Israel. If the fruit is raised in Israel, marketers licensed to use the brand-name must remove the country name from the label.

Iranians have not seen Israeli fruit since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, when trade was cut off between the two countries. Just two years earlier, the Iranians were enjoying no less than 40 tons a year of Zionist oranges.

Hai Binyamini, the secretary of Israel's Citrus Growers Association, said he didn't understand the point of falsifying a brand name to market the fruit in a country where the brand is unknown or unwanted.

Citrus growers in Israel currently raise some 600 tons of fruit, some 40 percent of which is exported as fresh fruit. In 2008, Israel's citrus exports totaled approximately $100 million, mainly to Western Europe, a 30-percent increase over the past three years.

England is the No. 1 market for Israeli citrus, followed by Scandinavia, Russia, Germany and France, Japan, South Korea and China. Israeli fruit also reaches the Gulf states through a third party without the origin marked.


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      1.   Israelis would eat Iranian fruits 06:20  |  Elad 27/04/09
      2.   600 tons only!!! 07:07  |  kevin 27/04/09
      3.   Deception? 07:24  |  VIPER 27/04/09
      4.   Its a damn fruit.... 08:50  |  Ben 27/04/09
      5.   well done israel 09:03  |  Am Yisrael Chai 27/04/09
      6.   understanding Irans concern 09:18  |  but what if 27/04/09
      7.   At least Iranians have something good to eat, haha 10:05  |  maurice 27/04/09
      8.   Can Israel afford to export citrus? 10:23  |  GSW 27/04/09
      9.   pistachios and licorice 10:26  |  Ethan 27/04/09
      10.   Conspiracy Theory.... 10:37  |  SUNDAY 27/04/09
      11.   `citrus fruit conspiracy` 10:37  |  Axel 27/04/09
      12.   "sold the right", which right? 10:58  |  get it right folks 27/04/09
      13.   haha 11:14  |  avi 27/04/09
      14.   Beware: there may be Jewish genes in the fruits! 11:33  |  Israeli citizen 27/04/09
      15.   England is #1 market for Israeli citrus 11:55  |  Motic 27/04/09
      16.   Citrus conspiracy 12:14  |  Leo 27/04/09
      17.   WONDER how many Iranians really care?Anything the Mullahs can do 12:15  |  PETER SM 27/04/09
      18.   If only they were Lemons 12:24  |  H 27/04/09
      19.   It`s all a conspiracy!!! (honest!) 12:32  |  vernon marriott 27/04/09
      20.   VIPER #2 - one only has to see 14:56  |  ChanahS 27/04/09
      21.   #8 Citrus conspiracy 14:20  |  EE 27/04/09
      22.   Oh my gawd !!! 14:22  |  steve from Raleigh 27/04/09
      23.   Now Israel has Iranian miney 14:24  |  Conroy 27/04/09
      24.   Why not bring Iran into the WTO? 15:54  |  Isadora 27/04/09
      25.   "Citrus fruit conspiracy"?? 15:54  |  Malone 27/04/09
      26.   It make them Jews? 16:24  |  Rahab 27/04/09
      27.   H in London re lemons--that was already tried in Cyprus 16:40  |  Labhras 27/04/09
      28.   Good point Isadora--one missed by all the pro sanctions 16:44  |  Labhras 27/04/09
      29.   If Ahmadinedjead eats a forbidden fruit, he will become Zionist! 17:00  |  Israeli citizen 27/04/09
      30.   as #2 and #8 seem to have noticed, the numbers don`t sound right 01:43  |  newageblues 28/04/09
      31.   Iran,s imports 15:29  |  ruth haskal 28/04/09
      32.   iran`s imports 15:34  |  ruth 28/04/09
      33.   Iranians could care though 02:57  |  Rupert 29/04/09
      34.   Trade Laws 02:55  |  Joe 01/05/09
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