Israeli farmers in the Araba Valley destroyed 300,000 tons of vegetables because they did not have enough workers to gather the crops and take them to the markets, reported Haaretz newspaper, quoting Israel Radio Saturday.
The farmers were also destroyed 30 million flowers destined for export to Europe.
According to coordinator of the Valley’s agricultural committee, Avi Sadeh, farmers in the region needed 2500 extra workers since the beginning of the year.
The shortage in workers was caused by the outbreak of the Intifada and the closure of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, which prevents the employment of Palestinian workers, said the paper.
Sadeh said that the labor office is not allocating workers to agriculture, adding that kibbutzim in the area were planning to use 2000 volunteers.
However, the interior ministry had only authorized 300 volunteers.
The shortage of workers has cost farmers millions of dollars in lost revenue, said the paper -- Albawaba.com
