Israel undercuts Palestinian agriculture with cheap produce
Israel is flooding Palestinian markets with large quantities of agricultural products with the aim to ruin the Palestinian agricultural seasons.
Palestinians complain that Israel is razing and burning agricultural crops, and undercutting the agricultural sector on which farmers depend with less expensive goods.
Some of the main seasons during which Israel deliberately inflicts financial losses on farmers are the grape and olive seasons; it floods the Palestinian markets in the West Bank with large quantities of those fruits at cheaper prices, hindering Palestinian production and encouraging Palestinian economic dependence on Israel.
The Palestinian grape picking season, which begins in August, in particular is threatened by Israeli competition. Israel grows crops in settlements near Palestinian cities and sends thousands of tons of Israeli grapes into Palestinian markets. Israel uses fertilizers and chemicals in grape cultivation to help the crop ripen quickly.
Palestinians in the West Bank plant approximately 64 million square meters (15,800 acres) with grapes and about 10,000 Palestinian farmers work in them. According to the Palestinian Fruit and Grapes Council, Palestinians produce about 50 million kilos (110 million pounds) of grapes annually, including 27 million kilos (60 million pounds) produced in Hebron governorate, 6 million kilos (13 million pounds) in Bethlehem governorate and another 6 million kilos in Jenin governorate. The grape production in the West Bank constitutes about 12% of the total crop cultivation in Palestine.
