The Logistics Branch of the Defense Ministry has signed an order for the purchase of around 60 million surgical masks from the Impratech plant in the Barkan industrial zone.
Impratech is a company that already produces masks for the defense industry – gas masks specialized for protection against chemical or biological agents. Now it will be producing masks designed for the coronavirus crisis, as part of Defense Minister Naftali Bennett’s (Yamina) program to source critically needed supplies with the country rather than having to depend on imports.
According to the agreement reached, the plant will produce around 10 million masks per month, starting from June and continuing until the end of the year, with an option to increase production speed and quantity significantly if this becomes necessary.
The Sion plant in Sderot already signed a similar agreement with the government and will soon begin production of tens of millions of masks for the health system.
Head of procurement of biochemical defense in the Defense Ministry Liran Cohen said: “The State of Israel will be developing the capacity to produce masks to meet its own needs, and within a few months we will reduce our dependence on imports almost to zero. This is an important strategic goal that has the added benefit of channeling government funding to Israeli companies rather than foreign ones.”