WASHINGTON: Producers in Gaza will be able to start exporting strawberries to Europe in the coming days after Israel authorised the shipment of goods across the blockade, as confirmed by Palestinian producers.
The strawberries will be shipped through the Israeli-controlled, Kerem Shalom crossing, and will arrive in mainland Europe via Israeli ports, explained Tahseen Al Saqa, director of marketing at the Gaza Ministry of Agriculture. “Right now, the Israeli Ministry of Health is checking the chemical and medical validity of the first shipment of strawberries to Europe, which will depart on Friday or Sunday,” said Al Saqa last week.
Strawberries are grown across Gaza on a total of about 60 hectares, with the production reaching 1,500 tonnes; far from the 7,000 tonnes they harvested in the past, when they planted up to 3,000 hectares, according to the official.
Growers say this reduction is due to the rising production costs, which currently amount to about 2,800 Euro per 1,000 square metres cultivated. “We hope that strawberry producers and sellers will be able to offset their losses this year by exporting to Europe as soon as possible,” said the head of the Strawberry Grower Association, Mohamed Ghaben.
