Last update - 00:00 18/03/2007
Fearing attacks, gov't bans use of crop dusting planes near Gaza
By Haim Bior, Haaretz Correspondent
The Transportation Ministry on Sunday instructed farmers in the Gaza envelope not to fly crop dusters in the Sha'ar Hanegev regional council. The instruction comes amid concerns that Palestinians in the Gaza Strip will use shoulder-launched missiles smuggled into the Strip to down the small aircrafts.
The Transportation Ministry said the order, set for immediate implementation, was issued under the guidance of the Israel Defense Forces.
Area farmers, most of them potato growers, are concerned that failure to spray the crops will result in the loss of tens of millions of shekels.
In the past, the Transportation Ministry has issued several instructions against flying crop dusters in the area, but each time the order was revoked before becoming valid, in order not to compromise the farmers' work.
Farmers said seeds have already been planted for the coming autumn, and that failure to spray them will force them to acquire new seeds from abroad.
It is important to spray the crops immediately after rain, they said, when pests are most likely to cause damage and it is impossible to spray the crops with tractors.
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