Israel allows one export shipment of Gaza strawberries to Europe

A Palestinian agriculture ministry official Tahsin Al-Saqqa said that the Israel allowed for the exportation of the first strawberry shipment from Gaza to Europe, the Palestinian Alresalah news site reported yesterday.

Speaking to Alresalah, Al-Saqqa said that Palestinian farmers had now begun to pack the strawberries to make them ready to export to Europe later today.

Al-Saqqa noted that this was first shipment of strawberries to find its way out of the Gaza Strip through the Kerem Shalom border crossing, indicating that there may be other shipments in the future.

Officials noted that there are 150 acres of farms planted with strawberries and they produce up to 1,500 tons a year.  In the past, he said, Gaza possessed 750 acres of strawberry fields and used to produce 7,000 tons annually.

Al-Saqqa hoped that this shipment would be the first of many in order to make financial returns for the farms that would be enough for them to break even on their production costs, with an eye for future profit if Gazan crops continued to be sold commercially.