Tel Aviv, MINA – Israel’s once-highly profitable agricultural export industry is currently facing an existential crisis, with farmers warning of an impending collapse as Israel’s isolation in global markets intensifies.
This sharp decline comes as a result of strengthening international opposition to Israel’s genocidal attacks in Gaza and is described by Zionist media as part of a boycott of the alliance.
A recent report from the Israeli public broadcaster Kan 11 on Thursday revealed that Israeli exporters, particularly citrus and mango producers, are facing the heaviest blows, with orders from Europe and Asia drying up.
The drop in exports is said to be so severe that farmers now fear the destruction of a sector long described as a central part of Israel’s national image and economy.
Read Also: Israeli Drone Strike Kills Palestinian at Gaza Displacement Tent
“We have actually been operating at a loss since the war [in Gaza],” said Nitzan Weisberg, an orchard manager at Givat Haim Ichud, during a television broadcast. She warned that the entire citrus sector might soon be uprooted due to the drastic decline in foreign demand.
In Ein Hahoresh and Hibat Zion, previously major exporters of Israeli citrus, farmers are now storing their harvests for local consumption or the low-profit juice market.
“Before the war, we exported to Scandinavia. But since the war, we haven’t exported even a single container,” explained Daniel Klusky, secretary-general of the Israel Citrus Growers’ Organization.
Farmers blame various factors, including logistical disruptions caused by the Yemeni Houthis’ blockade of the Red Sea, but most acknowledge that the backlash against Israel’s actions in Gaza is the primary cause.
Read Also: Israeli Army Kidnaps 45 Palestinians, Including 2 Journalists, in West Bank
“They don’t want to buy our mangoes,” admitted mango farmer and retired general Moti Almoz. “In Europe, they only talk to us if they are missing something… If they have an alternative, they avoid buying from us,” he added.
The consequences are stark. Mango producers in the north are watching up to 700 out of 1,200 tons of fruit rot on the trees.
“This is a crisis we have never experienced before,” said Dodi Matalon, who is now relying on direct local sales to survive.[]
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
Read Also: Palestinian, Foreign Activist Injured in Israeli Settler Assault Near Jericho
Mina Indonesia
Mina Arabic
Mina Sport