Israeli growers are concerned that an ultra-orthodox power struggle to monopolise the fruit and vegetable market in the upcoming Shmita (Sabbatical) year could lose growers as much as NIS 700 million (£84m) and result in a steep rise in retail products prices.

Joseph Bleier, secretary general of the Israeli Farmers Federation, said that fruit and vegetable growers were “very concerned” about what he called “aggressive marketing tactics”" applied by certain ultra-orthodox supervision organisations.

According to Orthodox Jewish law, in the upcoming Shmita year - which begins at Jewish New Year on September 13 , all farmers in Israel have to observe a complete sabbatical from working their fields with only absolutely critical labour permitted. Furthermore, any fruit grown during the Shmita year must be treated as holy. Grapes, apples, oranges and other perennial crops may be grown, but only under certain restrictions. These fruits cannot be marketed commercially nor can they be exported from Israel.

Ultra-Orthodox rabbis demand that all fruits and vegetables be bought from non-Jewish, mostly Arab, farmers inside Israel who have legally registered ownership of their land, or from farmers outside Israel. They are also putting pressure on the Ministry of Agriculture to increase produce imports, which would be a serious blow to local growers. Annual agricultural production in Israel is worth some NIS 7 billion, according to Bleier (US$1.7 billion). While last Shmita, the Orthodox market only accounted for about six to seven per cent of the total market for agricultural goods, the demand has grown so that today they represent about 17 per cent of the market, which can be translated into a loss for farmers of about NIS 700 million.

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