A severe threat to agriculture in the north: the dramatic move to prevent collapse
Tens of thousands of migratory birds expected to arrive in the Hula Valley pose a real danger to winter crops. Now, the urgent solution being crafted in government ministries to prevent a heavy financial disaster for the region's farmers has been revealed.
A threat poses a real danger to the vegetable and field crop industry in the north and could severely damage the livelihoods of hundreds of families and Israel's food security. Ahead of the winter season, about 60,000 migratory cranes are expected to arrive in the Hula Valley and cause massive damage to agricultural fields. These birds cause great destruction to crops in one of the country's most important production centers, and a failure to operate the protection system will lead to the collapse of agriculture in the region.
The Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Environmental Protection are in a race against time to save the fields before the first cranes arrive in early October. The solution being examined is based on a successful project in which the birds are directed to a special food reservoir in Agmon Hula to prevent them from entering the vegetable fields. Without urgent budgetary regulation before the rains begin, the existing mechanism was facing the danger of immediate closure.
It can now be revealed that the Director General of the Ministry of Agriculture, Oren Lavie, and the Director General of the Ministry of Environmental Protection, Rami Rozen, have agreed to move forward with a government decision that will ensure the future of the region. The plan includes an allocation of about 8 million shekels for the feeding and field protection project. A source familiar with the details clarified that the agreements have been reached:
"The decision will be approved and it is only a matter of time until it is implemented."
The immediate requirement is government participation of 5 million shekels this year.
The coordination between the government ministries, the Nature and Parks Authority, and the farmers of the Galilee provides breathing room for the residents of the north. It now remains to be seen whether the resolution proposal will pass with the necessary speed and prevent the financial disaster in the fields.
