The farmers of the Gaza Strip demanded the necessity of opening the crossings, introducing agricultural production inputs and providing feed and veterinary materials.
The farmers said during a workshop held by the Agricultural Development Association “Agricultural Relief” that they are on the verge of a real agricultural disaster, which is to prevent the import of agricultural inputs, which negatively affects the progress of agricultural production in the Gaza Strip, as they will not be able to prepare for the current agricultural season, due to the lack of availability Agricultural production inputs such as fertilizers, soil sterilizers and many types of seeds.
And the farmers indicated that the failure to provide seeds and agricultural supplies will lead to a very large increase in the prices of agricultural products during the coming period, and thus not obtain an economic return that covers the loss of damage they suffered as a result of the aggression or the closure of the crossings.
They pointed out that preventing the export of agricultural crops for more than 40 days led to the accumulation of agricultural products in the local markets, and thus their price decreased significantly, which led to heavy losses for farmers that exceeded 16 million dollars, as about 50 thousand tons are exported per year, according to Ministry Of Agriculture.
The farmers explained that they are eagerly waiting for the export date to compensate for the loss they suffered in previous seasons because the export season is one of the most important sources of compensation for farmers for the repeated losses they suffer throughout the year from violations by the occupation, whether by spraying their agricultural crops or opening a water dam rain on crops.
The farmers demanded that all Arab, international and human rights institutions related to agriculture stand up to their responsibilities to compel the occupation to open the Kerem Shalom crossing and allow the marketing and export of agricultural products and the introduction of agricultural requirements.
It is noteworthy that, according to the latest statistics, the losses resulting from the occupation´s prevention of the entry of agricultural requirements amounted to more than 6 million dollars, which portends a real disaster that will befall the agricultural sector in the near future and will also affect the food basket of the residents of the Gaza Strip.
