In the last few days, the Ministry of Agriculture has been conducting situation assessments, in view of Turkey’s announcement about the cessation of exports to Israel. According to the ministry’s forecasts, no shortage of agricultural products is expected, but the ministry is already preparing to secure import alternatives, to ensure a regular supply of fresh produce in the marketing chains, along with continued encouragement and strengthening of Israeli agriculture.
Regarding agricultural exports from Israel to Turkey, the damage to the export of fresh produce is very limited and focuses on two products: dates (volume of 16 million dollars per year), and vegetable seeds (exports of 11 million dollars per year).
According to the data of the Ministry of Agriculture, from the beginning of 2024, the import of fresh vegetables from Turkey is in a constant downward trend. Imports from Turkey include: onions, cucumbers, peppers, zucchini and tomatoes. Since the outbreak of the war, imports from Turkey have been minor and steadily decreasing. The import of fresh vegetables from Turkey in April was limited: out of 3,000 tons of tomatoes imported to Israel in April, only about 70 tons came from Turkey.
The fresh fruit imports from Turkey include mainly pears. Turkey’s share was about 34% of the total import of pears in the last four months. In April, the import from Turkey was only 18%.
The Ministry of Agriculture is also closely examining the import of oils and fish from Turkey. In recent years, the ministries of finance and economy promoted various reforms that included easing the import of oils and fish without sufficient cooperation with the farmers, and without sufficient investment in local production. The result: about 83% of the total olive oil imports to Israel come from Turkey, as well as 13% of the edible sunflower oil imports for industry and 45% of the bottled sunflower oil imports for home consumption. From the inspection of the Ministry of Agriculture, it appears that in the month of April, sunflower oil will not be imported for industry, and Turkey’s share of bottled sunflower oil imports has dropped to 26%.
Turkey’s dominance among olive oil exporters to Israel in the past year stems from the decline of Italy and Spain in the world olive oil market. Turkey has taken the place of the Mediterranean countries after their oil industry was severely damaged by climate change. Olive oil production in Spain and Italy dropped due to the drought and heat waves, and Turkey became, within a relatively short period of time, a major source for Israeli importers. Spain currently exports to Israel only 10% of the total olive oil imported and the import from Italy stands at 3% of the total import, due to significantly higher prices compared to the prices in Turkey.
However, the Ministry of Agriculture notes that significant quality problems were observed in olive oil imports from Turkey. In recent months, cases of removal from the shelves of imported olive oil where abnormal findings were found have multiplied. In some cases it was found that the imported oil was diluted with oil that is not intended for food.
The olive branch in Israel suffered a severe blow due to the removal of the customs duty and the easing of import conditions. In the years 2022-2023, about 250 thousand olive trees were uprooted in Israel. The “Solver” factory, the only one left in Israel that produces soy oil (an alternative to sunflower oil) is in danger of closing. The significant drop in consumer prices promised by the leaders of the reform was not observed in these products.
Fish imports from Turkey have increased greatly since the reduction of the import duty. Turkey is responsible for 47% of the total fresh halibut imports to Israel, 40% of fresh bream imports and 70% of the fresh fillets of other types of fish imported to Israel. Local fish production has been affected since the reform of fish imports was launched. The Israeli fishing industry is at an unprecedented low: a 21% decrease in the income of the breeders, resulting in the closure of 20% of the farms active in the industry. Despite this, the Ministry of Agriculture does not anticipate a shortage of fish, because most of the imports of fresh and processed produce from Turkey can be imported from other countries.
Officials at the Ministry of Agriculture warn that the Israeli fishing industry is in danger of collapsing if the reform the industry is undergoing continues unchanged. In January 2024, another round of tariff reductions on fish imports came into effect. Many growers have warned that they will not be able to cope with imports in view of the severe damage they are experiencing, and will abandon the industry if the next pulse comes into effect, as planned in January 2025.
The Ministry of Agriculture stated: “The announcements about the cessation of trade and exports to Israel sharpen the need to strengthen and establish local agriculture, which will be the solution to the food security of the citizens of Israel. In the last year, the Ministry has been leading a policy of strengthening Israeli agricultural products for the benefit of the food security of the citizens of the country. The Ministry promotes the formulation of Israel’s national food security plan until the year 2050, with the aim of ensuring local food production capacity and a regular food supply of healthy and affordable food for the medium and long term, in quantity, quality, variety and physical and economic accessibility that will enable a healthy lifestyle for the entire population in Israel. All this, while promoting agriculture, local food industries and sustainable and climate-adapted food systems.’
Shiko Domovich, CEO of the Fish Growers Organization in Israel: “For years we have come back and warned of exactly this situation. Israeli governments have chosen to collapse the local cultivation of fresh fish and increase even more Israel’s dangerous dependence on imports, instead of listening to us. Now we are witnessing the collapse of the concept of various ‘agricultural reforms’ at the expense of the Israeli consumer and the food security of all of us. If the state does not come to its senses immediately and start investing the necessary funding for the rehabilitation and growth of Israeli agriculture, we will soon find out that the worst is yet to come.”
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2024-05-06 15:25:24
