The months from January to April saw the highest import volumes due to intense fighting and damage to frontline agricultural areas.
By Pesach Benson, TPS
Due to the war, Israeli imports of fresh vegetables rose 13 percent in 2024, the Agriculture Ministry reported on Sunday.
Approximately 227,000 tons of fresh agricultural produce were imported, reflecting a 13% rise compared to 2023. This increase was necessary to compensate for damage to local production, labor shortages, and operational difficulties in frontline agricultural areas.
Since October 7, the war “posed an unprecedented challenge” to the “continuity of the supply chain,” Agriculture Ministry Director General Oren Lavie said.
“Alongside the concern for full shelves in the marketing chains, we continue to invest in strengthening local production, out of a commitment to ensuring agricultural stability and food security in the years to come.”
Despite disruptions, the government remains committed to increasing local agricultural production by 30% over the next decade.
The five leading imported products — apples, onions, tomatoes, garlic, and pineapples — accounted for 75% of total imports. However, there was a decline in tomato and cucumber imports.
The imported produce came from 30 countries, including Italy, the United States, Turkey, Greece, Jordan, Spain, China, and Poland.
The months from January to April saw the highest import volumes due to intense fighting and damage to frontline agricultural areas.
January recorded the highest import volume at 33,000 tons, followed by March, February, and April.
Apple imports rose by 58% to 60,000 tons in 2024. The increase was attributed to difficulties in tending and harvesting orchards in northern communities near the Lebanese border.
Apples were imported from 16 countries, with most coming from Italy, followed by the United States, Argentina, Greece, Moldova, and Spain.
Onion imports doubled to 57,000 tons due to reduced local yields caused by propagation issues and disease. Most of the imported onions came from the Netherlands, which quadrupled its exports to Israel. Other sources included Turkey, China, Spain, and Greece.
Tomato imports decreased by 35% to 30,000 tons. Early in the year, imports increased significantly as the war affected tomato production in the Negev.
Jordan and Turkey were the primary suppliers, but exports from these countries ceased in mid-2024, leading to diversification of import sources.
By December, only 100 tons of tomatoes were imported, as local production recovered.
Garlic imports rose 30% to 13,000 tons due to 2022 tariff reductions impacting local production. Most came from China, with some from Jordan and Spain.
Pineapple imports increased 64% to 10,000 tons, mainly from Costa Rica, with smaller amounts from Kenya and the Dominican Republic. Cucumber imports fell over 50% to 7,708 tons due to supply losses from Jordan, Turkey, and Gaza.
In January, Israel and Thailand finalized an agreement to bring 13,000 Thai workers to work in farms, orchards, greenhouses and packing plants. There are currently more than 42,000 foreign workers working in Israeli agriculture, around 10,000 more than pre-war levels.
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