Cuts to the Israeli Agriculture Ministry will harm the recovery of Israeli farmers in the south and north and will put an end to Israeli agriculture.

As part of a special debate held on Monday in the Knesset Economic Committee, Israel's Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security presented a comprehensive analysis of the consequences of the planned budget cuts for the future of Israeli agriculture and national food security. The analysis paints a worrying picture indicating a substantial deterioration in the ability to produce food for the population, due to the inability to maintain an independent and stable agricultural system.

Based on the need to strengthen Israeli agriculture and maintain public interest in the availability of food, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Avi Dichter voted against the approval of the state budget for 2025 in early November.

In this complex period, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security is determined to continue working to ensure the food security of Israel's citizens and the future of Israeli agriculture. The complex geopolitical reality of our region further sharpens the vital need to strengthen local production capacities and reduce dependence on food imports. Agricultural settlements along the country's borders, and in particular in the area surrounding Gaza and the north, play a crucial role in maintaining the country's borders and ensuring the supply of fresh food to the population at a time when the State of Israel is facing unprecedented security challenges. The Ministry's budget cut approved by the government, despite the opposition of the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, harms the food production capacity of Israeli farmers and destroys the ability of local agriculture to survive without support and subsidies.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security explains that the cut approved by the government will paralyze the ministry's activities and consequently paralyze local agriculture, precisely at a time when it is supposed to recover after such a long struggle and truly grow. Investing in the restoration of Israeli agriculture is a direct investment in the national security and resilience of the State of Israel. The lack of budgets to handle the factors of production on which agriculture in Israel relies – the price of water, the availability of land, workers and R&D support – will not allow agriculture to recover and grow.

The Ministry explains that the depletion of agricultural research and development budgets constitutes a long-term strategic risk. In an era of worsening climate crisis, the reduction of R&D budgets will irreversibly damage Israel’s ability to maintain its position as a world leader in the field of agricultural innovation and its ability to continue producing the available Israeli agricultural research, which has yielded significant advances. It is an essential infrastructure for the continued existence of advanced and effective agriculture in Israel’s difficult climatic conditions.

During the committee, Chairman of the Economics Committee and Knesset member David Bitan supported the ministry’s position and called on all parties involved to reach agreements.

Agriculture and Food Security Ministry Director-General Oren Lavi said: “The government’s decision to formulate a national food security plan for a 25-year period, which includes an ambitious goal of increasing local agricultural production by one-third over the next decade, is a recognition of the strategic importance of Israeli agriculture. However, without adequate budgetary support, this plan will remain only a statement of intent. Increasing the scale of local agricultural production requires significant investment in infrastructure, research and development, and direct support to farmers. The year 2025 must be a turning point in Israel’s national food security. The budget approved by the government does not allow for the realization of the strategic vision of increasing local agricultural production and does not provide a response to the immediate needs of the agricultural sector to continue producing food for the public.”