Meir Yifrach, secretary of the Vegetable Growers Organization and Chairman of the Vegetable Branch of the Plants Council, has appealed to Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon to immediately stop the import of tomatoes from Turkey without customs duty.
Yifrach said local farmers have been meeting all the demand of the consumers so there is no shortage of tomatoes. He said, "Past experience shows that increasing imports does not affect the cost of living and does not lower the price to the consumer, but only increases the profits of importers and chains, and harms local agriculture." With the imported tomatoes expected to arrive this week, Yifrach called on Finance Minister Kahlon to immediately set up an aid fund of NIS 20 million to help the tomato growers who were harmed by the move and to compensate the farmers for their damage. Noting that "most of the tomato fields are located in the western Negev and in the Gaza vicinity communities, he asked consideration for the terror they have had to fight.