Subscribe to Print Edition | Thu., April 10, 2008 Nisan 5, 5768 | | Israel Time: 02:06 (EST+7) web haaretz.com   Back to Homepage Rosner's Domain Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Advertising Books Arts & Leisure Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File

Growing 'Gush Katif-style' produce By Yoav Stern Said Abu Nasser is starting to worry. Shmita (a year when Jewish-owned land in Israel is supposed to lie fallow) falls only once every seven years, and once every 28 years the shmita year is also a leap year, with an extra month. Spring is already here, however, with summer just around the corner, and soon after that a new Jewish year will begin and the brutish market will be back. Abu Nasser is already making plans. "In order to maintain profitability next year too," says Abu Nasser, "I have to plant 240 dunams. It's a good thing I don't want to be a millionaire. All I want is to provide for my family and my workers. Inshalla (if Allah wishes), everything will work out." What does the shmita year have to do with Abu Nasser? The shmita year is is a Jewish matter. Jewish farmers are commanded to let the land rest. Advertisement Otherwise, they have to at least temporarily transfer the ownership of the land to a non-Jew. Arab-owned land apparently does not have to rest, and Arab farmers can turn a handsome profit during shmita years, especially if they are willing to take risks. A few Arab farmers are hoping this shmita year will give them the added advantage they have been waiting for in order to establish themselves in the Israeli agricultural market. One such farmer is Abu Nasser. "Write the name of my company," he says. "Alei Hasharon L'Mehadrin." So next time you buy vegetables, check the label. Abu Nasser founded his company two weeks before the Jewish new year last September. He leased land from his neighbors, adding more than 80 dunams to his own 20. Abu Nasser is a very busy man. He tried to devote his time to his guests, but that is not so simple. Everywhere he goes, there is a lot of work to do. He has to tell the 30 women packaging the vegetables which ones to pack first. Most of the women are relatives, so there is no problem photographing them at work. A few are from the nearby village of Jat. Next Abu Nasser must oversee his five Thai workers. There are things they do better than the Arab workers, but communicating with them requires a special talent. He exchanges a jumble of words with them that only he and they understand - a mixture of Thai, English, Hebrew and Arabic. The new blue tractor with the futuristic design also has to be moved, Abu Nasser has to negotiate with a constant stream of suppliers, and most important of all, he has to consult with on-site kashrut supervisor, Yaakov Sternbuch, who comes here every day from Elad. He is ultra-Orthodox and received rabbinical approval to be interviewed for this article. Although this land is inside the Green Line, the vegetables are "Gush Katif-style." The former bloc of Katif settlements (evacuated and destroyed in the 2005 Disengagement) may be far from here, both physically and ideologically, however the vegetables here are grown inside net enclosures to keep insects out, and religious buyers can be rest assured that the produce is bugless. Arab produce, but strictly kosher nonetheless. Even the bags in which the vegetables are marketed are sealed so that nothing uninvited can crawl in. Sternbuch and Abu Nasser speak in rapid-fire shmita terminology. One has to listen very carefully to understand. So this is how it goes: Abu Nasser's produce is in keeping with the most stringent shmita laws, because he is an Arab and his land belongs to Arabs. Yes. The ownership is crucial. The kashrut supervisor must see the land deed and the dimensions of the fields being cultivated. Sternbuch explains: Either the land must be sold "to some non-Jewish [Israel Defense Forces] colonel who will not keep the land [after the year is over]," and work the fields as usual, under the heter mechira, or sales permit; or grow produce detached from the ground, by putting layers of plastic sheeting on the ground and then spreading earth in which to grow the vegetables. "As if they were growing potted plants inside a house," explains Sternbuch. This makes the produce permissible - at least to those who accept that solution. The Arab farmers, who in the 1990s accounted for 11 percent of farmers in Israel, now constitute only 5 percent. Tough market conditions ended that profession for many. The reasoning is quite simple: Arab farmers usually cultivate privately owned land, as they do not receive state lands the way the kibbutz and moshav farming cooperatives do. The Arab farms are inherited, so naturally the land owned by each heir gets smaller every generation. In order to survive commercially, large farms are needed. Ibrahim Muasi, a resident of Baka al-Gharbiyeh, who represents the Arab farmers at the Israel Farmers Association, says there are other Arab farmers who are profiting from the shmita year, however only those who prepared in advance by hiring foreign workers and building proper infrastructure. Leasing the neighbors' lands, as Abu Nasser has done, and employing advanced growing methods helps, too. Now anyone who expected to find a traditionally grown Baladi cucumber at the Arab vegetable stands is in for a surprise. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Carter's contacts Report: Ex-U.S. president Carter to meet with Hamas leader in Syria. Warning shouts Officer: Palestinians warned Israelis of terrorist infiltration.

Today Online Israel to deny UN official entry for comparing country to Nazis Responses: 330 Rosner's Guest: Enough with occupation guilt, Gaza is not Auschwitz Responses: 61 State Prosecutor: New Katsav indictment may include rape Responses: 17 Alexander Yakobson: Israel is most successful integration of modern times Responses: 26 IDF begins collecting weapons from West Bank settlements Responses: 44 More Headlines 23:55 Local security officer: Palestinians warned of infiltration 00:59 2 Israeli civilians killed in attack by Gaza infiltrators 21:49 Israel: Hamas responsible for Gaza attack, will pay the price 01:52 Druze elite-unit son buried with honors, but not in military cemetery 00:53 PA police and escaped Fatah militants clash in Nablus 20:48 Report: Ex-U.S. president Carter to meet with Hamas leader in Syria 21:55 Vatican cardinal: Jews too 'emotional' over Good Friday prayer 21:27 Polish PM: Iran's comments on Israel annuls right to place in int'l community 14:41 Murdoch, Blair, Gorbachev to attend Israel's 60th celebrations 00:08 Gunfight erupts on central Tel Aviv street during jewel heist 20:35 Unionized J'lem teens declare labor dispute with employer 19:08 Egyptian troops go on alert, fear new Hamas bid to breach Gaza border 16:18 Judge allows Mosley Nazi role-playing orgy video to go on Web Previous Editions Select Day 09 apr 08 apr 07 apr 06 apr 04 apr 03 apr 02 apr 01 apr 31 mar 30 mar 28 mar 27 mar

Special Offers Advertisement Learn Hebrew online with Israel's best teachers Sign up for a trial lesson today Behind the Z Word Scholarly essays, commentary, podcasts, blogs and much more. NEW! Dan Boutique Jerusalem Hotel Hip Dan Hotel in Jerusalem. Attractive Introductory Rates Pardes Institute Summer Sessions Study Jewish texts and issues in Jerusalem, Co-ed, All Levels FAREWELL ISRAEL New Film The Coming War for Islamic Revival - View Movie Trailer Free the Palestinians from: Corrupt Kleptocracy, Tyrannical Theocracy, Abysmal Anarchy Fattal Hotel Chain Perfectly located hotels on best resorts of Israel. ISRAEL BONDS Build Israel Israel bonds - a multi-purpose way to celebrate Israel's 60th Eldan Rent a Car Israel's leading car rental company offers you a 20% discount on all online reservations Junkyard Junk a car - get free towing nationwide and a tax-deductible receipt

Home | TV | Print Edition | Diplomacy | Opinion | Arts & Leisure | Sports | Jewish World | Underground | Site rules |

Haaretz.com, the online edition of Haaretz Newspaper in Israel, offers real-time breaking news, opinions and analysis from Israel and the Middle East. Haaretz.com provides extensive and in-depth coverage of Israel, the Jewish World and the Middle East, including defense, diplomacy, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the peace process, Israeli politics, Jerusalem affairs, international relations, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the Israeli business world and Jewish life in Israel and the Diaspora.

© Copyright  Haaretz. All rights reserved