AGRICULTURE MINISTER VISITS TAMAR AREA

The challenges of agriculture are worldwide, but vital to our mere existence. The Tamar Regional Council recently received a visit from the Minister of Agriculture to discuss the challenges facing our local famers in the extreme living conditions.

Israel is a world leader in agricultural technology, particularly in farming in arid conditions. Israeli agriculture thus relies on an “induced”, rather than “natural”, comparative advantage, one built on knowledge and technological progress. It is a highly developed industry and it vital to the country’s economy. The country is a major exporter of fresh produce and a world-leader in agricultural technologies. The geography of the country is not natually conducive to agriculture as more than half of the land area is desert – as the Tamar region – and the extreme climate conditions and lack of water resources are not favourable for farming. There are two very unique types of agricultural communities in Israel: Kibbutz and Moshav. These communities were developed as a result of immigrants from all over the world who emmigrated to the country and established themselves as complete communities working, socializing and thriving together.

Ein Tamar and Neot Hakikar are two settlements sitting side by side and on a daily basis produce the most amazing fruits and vegetables as well as spices and herbs despite the arduous conditions. Please see our article “environment and agriculture”on our website.

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Member of Parliament Mr. Avi Dichter visited the Tamar Regional Council recently. During the visit, the minister together with the director general of the ministry, Oren Lavi, and the professionals in the ministry heard reviews from the council’s staff in the regional council offices at Neve Zohar, toured the area on the Jordanian border and the agricultural areas in the nearby council settlements of Neot HaKar and Ein Tamar.

Later, the forum met with farmers from the council’s settlements, Neot HaKikar and Ein Tamar for an open and frank conversation in which a variety of issues were raised, including : the employment of foreign workers in agriculture, agricultural absorption, preparation of additional land, the discontinuance of imports and the possibilities of supporting farmers. All these subjects are vital for the future of the industry. The challenges in our area are complex. The No. 1 concern is the enviornment and this means changes and accommodations for several issues such as: packaging, crop treaments, caring for the local animal kingdom and so much more. The Tamar Regional Council will continue to work with all government officials in order to address the various challenges in our region, in agriculture in general.