Feature: Gaza economy gets boost via strawberry export

Marks of joy were visible on the faces of Akram Abu Khousa, the 42-year-old farmer from Gaza, and his four brothers once they heard that Israel decided to allow farmers to export this season's produce of strawberries directly from Gaza to Europe through Israeli seaports.

When Israel made the announcement two weeks ago, Abu Khousa, his four brothers and their children rushed to their 7-dunum (1 dunum is equal to 1,000 square meters) strawberries field and began to pick up the red mature fruit and packed it in soft boxes.

"Over the past two years, we depended on local markets in Gaza because we were not able to export our strawberries due to the Israeli restrictions, therefore we were happy that this year we will be able to export our produce to Europe to compensate our loss," Abu Khousa told Xinhua.

Before the Israeli large-scale military offensive weighed on the Gaza Strip in the summer of 2014, which lasted 50 days, strawberry farmers cultivated 1,000 dunums in the Gaza Strip, he noted, adding that due to the destructions and the lack of export, 400 dunums were cultivated with the fruit this year.

"We have been growing strawberries for 15 years for living and we found out that the local markets in the Gaza Strip can't bring profits, but only loss," said Abu Khousa, while filling a soft box with fresh and red strawberries. "The price of 1 kilogram in local market is 8 Israeli Shekels (1 U.S. dollar is equal to 3.83 Shekels)."

Gaza Ministry of Agriculture informed Abu Khousa and other farmers in the coastal enclave that before loading the strawberries on trucks for export, the price for each kilogram for export must be 12 Israeli Shekels, and a sample of the produce has to be examined at Israeli laboratories and make sure it is clear of chemicals.

Tahseen al-Saqqa, chairman of marketing department in the Gaza Ministry of Agriculture, told Xinhua in a telephone conversation that the first two trucks of strawberry were exported to Europe and Russia early this month.

"On Dec. 5, the first shipment of 2 tons of strawberry were exported to Europe, including Spain, through the Israeli-controlled commercial crossing point of Kerem Shalom, then the shipment will be transported to an Israeli seaport and then will be shipped to Europe," said al-Saqqa.

He reminded that last year, the Gaza Strip produced 160 tons of strawberry, and most of it were sold in the local markets of the Palestinian territories, or Gaza and the West Bank, adding that "the Ministry of Agriculture hopes that this year, exporting abroad would help boosting the deteriorated economy of Gaza."

The farmers and the strawberry export association in Gaza said the process of exporting strawberries abroad should go through several procedures, such as checking the strawberries that it doesn't include chemical remains, and should meet the European criteria of safe planting and packing.

Meanwhile, Mohamed Ghaben, director of the Gaza-based Agricultural Cooperative Association for Strawberry Growers, told Xinhua that the total cost for each dunum cultivated with strawberries is 3,000 U.S. dollars each year. His Association coordinates between farmers and the Israeli side to check the samples.

Ghaben and other exporters of strawberry, flowers and various kinds of green herbs and vegetables, complained that the Palestinians have to export their products through Israeli companies.

"We hope one day we may have our seaport and airport in order to be able to export and import products directly, without an Israeli mediator," said Sami al-Shafe'i, chairman of Gaza fruits and vegetables association, adding that "in this case our loss will be certainly much less than exporting through Israel." Endit