Due to the war, Israel was forced to increase imports of fruits and vegetables in 2024

The war severely affected many Israeli farms that supplied retail chains with fresh fruits and vegetables.

This led to the need to purchase hundreds of thousands of tons of products abroad, from Azerbaijan to China. According to Vesti, 227,000 tons of agricultural products were imported to Israel in 2024.

Purchases from 30 countries increased by 13% in 2024 compared to 2023. The need to increase imports was caused by damage to local agriculture, labor shortages, and difficulties in cultivating fields and plantations in border areas.

The majority of imports – 75% of the total – came from five products. These are apple, onion, tomato, garlic, and pineapple. All categories, except tomatoes, saw an increase in supplies.

Director General of the Ministry of Agriculture Oren Lavie said, commenting on the data: “2024 was a year of serious challenges due to the war. The Ministry is promoting a long-term strategy to strengthen local production and intends to increase the country’s agricultural production by 30% over the next decade.”

Apples have become an imported fruit, with 60,000 tons imported from 10 countries, including Moldova, Canada, and Argentina. This is 58% more than a year earlier. The need to increase imports arose due to the fact that apple plantations are located in northern Israel near the war zone.

Onion imports totaled 57,000 tons, 82% of which came from the Netherlands. This is more than double the volume of 2023, when 27,000 tons were imported.

Tomato imports, on the other hand, decreased by 35% to 30,000 tons. This is due to the ban on agricultural exports to Israel imposed by Turkey and the cessation of supplies from Jordan. Recently, Israeli farmers have again provided 90% of domestic consumption.

China has become the main source of garlic imports for Israel. Supplies increased by 30% and reached 13,000 tons per year. Imports of pineapples increased by 64% to 10,000 tons per year, with 90% coming from Costa Rica.

At the same time, there was also a significant decline in cucumber imports – by more than 50%, which is also due to the Turkish ban, the cessation of supplies from Jordan, and increased production by Israeli farmers.

Tags: Israel, fruits