The General Director of Marketing and Crossings in the Gaza Strip, Tashin Al-Sakka, said Sunday that rising temperatures are the main reason for the growing prices of vegetables in the Gaza Strip.
During a press conference held at the headquarters of the Ministry of Information, Sakka said that tomatoes are the most affected by rising temperatures. "The heat has taken a toll on the flowering of various fruits and vegetables. Tomatoes have been especially affected, since they are sensitive to high temperatures; this has resulted in lower market supply and thus higher prices."
He pointed out that tomato prices have also significantly increased in other countries of the region exposed to high temperatures, including Egypt, Jordan and the Israeli West Bank.
Sakka stressed that the sector has a self-sufficiency of vegetables of up to 97%, covering all local markets in Gaza.
The Ministry of Agriculture uses half the territory of the Gaza Strip for the cultivation of fruits and vegetables, with 75 thousand acres for the cultivation of fruit and the same also for the cultivation of vegetables.
Potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers and onions are considered strategic basic commodities in Gaza, and Sakka says that his Ministry stops exports if the local price per kilo increases above four shekels.
Source: safa.ps
