The cuts in the Ministry of Agriculture: “will lead to a reduction in agricultural areas and damage to the food security of Israelis”

“The sharp cut in the Ministry of Agriculture’s budget is predatory and destructive,” he tells ‘Davar’ Chairman of the Israel Farmers Association and Secretary General of the Moshavim movement Amit Yifrah, present 266 The millions of shekels that will be cut in the ministry in 2024 as per the requirement of the treasury. “The consequences of the cut are clear,” adds Yafarah, “reduction of agricultural areas to the closure of family farms“.

The Ministry of Agriculture is expected to absorb a sharp budget cut of NIS 266 million in 2024. In relation to the cuts planned in the government offices, this is one of the highest and most severe cuts: approx.12% from the ministry’s budget, compared to a horizontal cut of 5% in most ministries.

The Ministry of Agriculture, which has recently faced the challenges of the war on the northern and southern fronts, will have to face another challenge: increasing the volume of local production of fresh food and strengthening the resilience of agriculture and the Israeli food industry, while at the same time reducing jobs in agricultural research and training and a major cut in the ministry’s resources and research infrastructure.

“Precisely in the days when Israeli agriculture is in its most difficult time, the State of Israel chooses to harm agriculture and reduce the budget of the industry”, Malin Yifarah, and emphasizes: “Precisely now, when the farmers who cultivate the lands on the borders until the last furrow, Under live fire in order to provide food to the citizens of Israel, the Israeli government needs to support and strengthen agriculture and local production, add budgets, give support. This is the national mission of the state, strengthening food security, not crushing it”.

Addendum to the Ministry of National Missions and the Ministries of National Security and the Economy

The discussions on the Ministry of Agriculture’s budget were long and exhausting, according to Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter and the Ministry’s CEO Oren Lavi. The Treasury’s initial demand included a cut of approximately one billion shekels and a very extensive reduction in the workforce, along with the transfer of weighty regulatory powers to the Ministry of Economy. Finally, it was agreed upon Much lower cut: NIS 266 million, and reducing unfilled positions.

While the Ministry of Agriculture faces a sharp cut of about 12%, the budgets of other government ministries are expected to absorb much more moderate cuts: the budget of the Ministry of Construction and Housing, for example, will be cut by-4% only.

If that is not enough, from the examination of the budget proposal submitted by the Treasury, it appears that the budget of the Ministry of National Missions, as well as the ministries of national security and the economy, will receive a budget supplement.

Officials at the Ministry of Agriculture describe the negotiations with the Treasury as “an act of deception”. The claim that the budget cut will be divided equally between the ministries, turned out to be far from reality.

In an interview with Calcalist, the Director General of the Ministry of Agriculture, Oren Lavi, stated that their commitment to “get under the stretcher” was taken advantage of by the Treasury officials, who chose dishonest conduct.It is very unfortunate that this is the way things are conducted, and this is a certificate of poverty for the treasury,” said Lavie. “Instead of cutting the Ministry of Agriculture, you should not have increased other ministries that you wanted to visit. It shouldn’t work that way. This is a state, not a private business. It looks like revenge on the farmers, and it will be a cry for generations. I’m not ready to be silent anymore.”

Harm to R&D: the undermining of the industry on which Israeli agriculture is based

The most painful cuts are expected in the Agricultural Research Administration (Volcani Institute) and in the regional agricultural R&D budgets. the cut the expected in the budget the institute he in fact a blow death for him. At the moment it is a cut of NIS 80 million, which they will bring to the deficit operative built in in the institute’s budget. a cut such a will not allow the institute to stand in his financial obligations and liabilities Against the factors the financiers You the research activity.

The sharp cut in the Ministry of Agriculture’s budget came up for discussion in the Finance Committee, and on Tuesday this week the Science and Technology Committee will discuss it.

The Agricultural Research Administration knows how to say that this is the decline of the branch on which the entire Israeli agriculture is based. Without agricultural R&D, adapting varieties, improving productivity and quality, and developing agricultural tools to save on manpower, agricultural production will fade away.

Institute Volcanic he the institution the big most in Israel the dealer in research agricultural. The institute is responsible for research and development in the field of agriculture and scientifically the food. His role is to ensure the food security of the State of Israel, to help to the farmer Israel in solution Boll the present, and provide tools to deal with With challenges Future.

The institute is unit trust independent of office agriculture, and by definition an organization stipulated income. possession The institute, for its laboratories and facilities, is funded from a budget the state, and the studies sponsored from competitive research grants. Part of the institute’s budget is based on The ministry’s budget is significantly smaller in the years the last ones, At the same time, the income-contingent budget increased and the “MtThatAh to commit“ within the budget.

Damage to the budget for the research infrastructure will result in a reduction of the research grants that the institute will obtain, damage to its status as a leading institute and irreparable damage to local food production.

According to the acting director of the Volcanic Institute, Dr. Shmuel Assulin, the cut in the institute’s budget follows a war “swords iron“ and the drastic reduction in the framework the permission to commit, will bring to disable absolute of activity the institute.

closing the institute could lead, according to him, to far-reaching consequences for the study in Israel, On Agriculture in Israel, On relative the outside of State Israel, and on revenues the state: all NIS that the state budgeting ToInstitute, yields benefit worth 9.6 shekels to the economy.

Secretary General of the Israel Agricultural Federation, Uri Dorman, warns From the cut and its far-reaching consequences: “The meaning of the sharp cut in the Ministry of Agriculture’s budget is Among other things A serious injury to recovery from the ravages of the war,” he told ‘Davar’.

“This is a violation of our ability to create conditions for increasing local production by reducing costs and by encouraging capital investments and R&D. Cutting the budget, instead of increasing it, will end up increasing dependence on imports, and will reduce the food security of the citizens of the State of Israel.”

Institute Volcanic He is one of the leaders in his field in the world. Research that started at the institute formed an infrastructure for groundbreaking developments and led to the establishment of agro-technology companies in Israel and around the world. the institute Partner central in the application Agreements international that include sit down“P scientific and strengthen You the connections of State Israel With girls An alliance like Jordan, Egypt, USA and EU countries.

Because the institute is a partner senior in the plans Research nationalism And many–Many nationalities, he is responsible for the division budgets between Institutes Research Different. closing it avoid transfer money to institutions the various in Israel and in the world. According to Assolin, the collapse of the administration will harm the commitment of Financing sources between–national for research in the state Israel.