The Israel Central Statistics Bureau today reported that 259,000 Israelis are currently unemployed, a rate of more than 10%. Labor and Welfare Minister Shlomo Benizri (Shas) said that these figures clearly indicate that Israel must reduce the number of foreign workers. Israeli farmers, who suffered from a lack of foreign workers, disagree.
The year 2001 saw a 20% plunge in the number of farmers in Israel. Some 4,500 agriculturalists left the field during 2001, and the number of farmers in the country is at an all-time low of 20,000. Yossi Yeshai, head of the Planning Authority in the Agriculture Ministry, said that despite the sharp drop, the value of agricultural exports remained stable at 14 billion shekels. Agriculture Minister Shalom Simchon said that the drop is a matter of concern, and that the government must adopt his ministry\'s proposed reforms to guarantee the continued existence of Israeli agriculture. The plan includes cost-saving measures for farmers, emphasis on crops that use less water, and other components.
The citrus crop dropped from 820 million shekels in the year 2000 to 723 million, mostly because of the acute manpower shortage since the onset of the Oslo War, but vegetables grew more than five-fold, to almost 2.7 billion shekels. Simchon said that the potential for growth lies in the development of new methods, and that agricultural research will be a major focus of his office in the coming years.
The year 2001 saw a 20% plunge in the number of farmers in Israel. Some 4,500 agriculturalists left the field during 2001, and the number of farmers in the country is at an all-time low of 20,000. Yossi Yeshai, head of the Planning Authority in the Agriculture Ministry, said that despite the sharp drop, the value of agricultural exports remained stable at 14 billion shekels. Agriculture Minister Shalom Simchon said that the drop is a matter of concern, and that the government must adopt his ministry\'s proposed reforms to guarantee the continued existence of Israeli agriculture. The plan includes cost-saving measures for farmers, emphasis on crops that use less water, and other components.
The citrus crop dropped from 820 million shekels in the year 2000 to 723 million, mostly because of the acute manpower shortage since the onset of the Oslo War, but vegetables grew more than five-fold, to almost 2.7 billion shekels. Simchon said that the potential for growth lies in the development of new methods, and that agricultural research will be a major focus of his office in the coming years.