"This period is a difficult period in the field of watermelons. Every farmer behaves according to what he deserves: if he deserves it, he picks the watermelons, and if not - he leaves them in the field."
This is what Meir Yifrach, secretary general of the Vegetable Growers' Association, told Israel Today.
He said, "Some growers also grow them for free. They do it because it's not worth it. They get 70-60 cents per kilogram from the marketing chains, and that doesn't cover the cost of transportation or the harvesting expenses.
The farmer has nothing left of this amount, so he should not collect from the area.
It leaves him nothing because of the cost of transportation and picking, it's like sending a watermelon for free. "
Yifrach explained that "in order for the farmer to make a profit, he needs to receive NIS 1.5-1.2. They buy for NIS 70-60. Some sell for NIS 1.9 per kg and some at a higher price.
It is the network that benefits, not the farmer. "
Is there a shortage now?
"There is no shortage of watermelons because still the watermelon growers are marketing. Now there are crops and there are large quantities. In the end it is supply and demand. I estimate that in a week to ten days this wave will end, then the price will go up. "Supply and demand. The reason is that the areas will run out. Some will get sunstroke, and some will stop watering and less watermelon will reach the market."
Yifrach said as a critique that "when the farmers lose money, no one is alarmed. When the watermelon costs 6 shekels, everyone shouts, but when the farmer loses, it is not terrible."
He attacked the import reform and said: "Where is the Ministry of Agriculture, which constantly threatens to import without lowering water and without direct subsidies? Imports are not the solution. Water should be reduced and working capital subsidies should be given.
"The Ministry of Agriculture says let's import so that there is competition with cheap countries, where the price of workers and water is low. They say we will flood the market, so that it will compete with Turkish agriculture. It does not make sense. Our luck is that this program exploded He understood that he could raise the price higher. "
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