The demand for persimmon in South-East Asia is met by imports, most of which come from Japan, China and New Zealand. There are no significant quarantine barriers to imports into South-East Asia. This market is regarded as a developing one by producers in the Southern Hemisphere. This accounts for the low annual production. Assuming a yield of 20 t per hectare, potential production could exceed 24,000 t per annum within the next decade.
Most plantings are of the astringent cv.
Triumph, which is treated to remove astringency before being marketed as Sharon Fruit. It is understood that the Israeli Ministry of Agriculture intends to extend the planting of Sharon Fruit by another 500 ha as soon as possible. Harvesting extends from November to January. The major export market is Europe, in particular Great Britain, France, Germany, and Scandinavia. European Community Persimmons were introduced into Europe in the mid-19th century and are currently produced in the south of France, Spain and Italy.