Valentine's Day in Gaza: Israelis prevent flower exports, farmers protest at the border crossing

Unable to export, Gazan flower farmers throw away crops on Valentine's Day

Date: 14 / 02 / 2008 Time: 12:41
Gaza – Ma'an –

Flower farmers in the Gaza Strip see no reason to celebrate this Valentine's Day.

Normally a boon for those in the flower business, this February the 14th, Palestinians will not be able to export any flowers to Israel's crippling siege of the Gaza Strip. Acres and acres of floral crops are doomed to die without ever reaching the market.

As a result, farmers destroyed their flower products with TV cameras rolling near the Sufa border crossing through which the flowers used to be exported.

60 flower farmers in the southern Gaza Strip have decided to abstain from planting their crops next year unless they receive international guarantees that their products will be exported rather than ending up as food for sheep as they did this year.

The President of the Beit Hanoun Agricultural Association, Ghassan Qasim, explained that the area of the Gaza Strip used for planting flowers is 50 dunams (a dunam is equal to 1000 square meters, an acre is four dunams).

The Gaza Strip's farmers have been planting flowers since 1991, and in the past have exported up to 60 million flowers to Europe every year. In 2007 however farmers exported only 5 million flowers due to the Israel's closing of Gaza's borders. This limited delivery came as a result of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas asking the Dutch government to exert pressure on Israel.

Approximately 4,500 Palestinian workers are involved in the farming of flowers, with each dunam costing 8,000 US dollars to farm. The overall income of the flower business in the Gaza strip is 13 million US dollars.

Valentine's Day: Gazans Give Flowers to Cows, Sheep, and Goats

By: Sami Abu Salem (RNA)
Gaza, February 14, 2008, (RNA)-

The fragrance of carnation around the greenhouses in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah was distorted by the smell of the dung of cows which were gluttonously eating fresh flowers without paying any attention to the Valentine's day.

Millions of red, white and pinky flowers were stepped by camels, cows and goats, in an absurd images created by the Israeli siege on the Gaza Strip.

Today, Thursday, tens of farmers disposed millions of flowers near the Israeli commercial crossing of Sofa, south of Gaza.

The farmers carried thousands of dozens carnation bouquets in trucks protesteing against the Israeli siege on Gaza, calling the international community to end their dilemma.

Farmer, Majed Hadayed, said that he planned to export 16,000,000 flowers to the EU markets, each flowers costs at least 30 cents, but he could not because of the Israeli siege on Gaza.

"I lost $ 1,700,000, because of the siege, all of my dreams were destroyed, I do not know how to pay the salaries of the workers," said Hadayed.

He said that he planted 130 donums (130,000 square meters) of flowers, but he was astonished as the Israeli siege continued from June 2007 so far.

"I am scared that some people would sue me because of lots of loans, it is very possible that my name will be on the top of the list of swindlers," Hadayed said.

At least two hundred workers work at "the Green Orchard Company" owned by Hadayed, he said that all of them have become unemployed and they lost their sole source for living.

Hadayed asserted that the Palestinian farmers in Gaza could not import chemical materials (anti insects), transplants and other agricultural materials. He also pointed out that the Israeli reduction of delivering fuel and cutting power strongly affect their products.

"The siege includes lots of details but the main issue is the issue of exporting, all of our efforts are fruitless as the after production flowers, we can not export," he said.

A shepherd has arrived on a donkey cart, Hadayed gave him dozens of bouquet for free, the donkey it self also enjoyed a meal of fresh flower.

In the city of Beit Lahia, north of Gaza, farmer Abdullah Abu Halima, said that he reduced production flowers in the time of the Israeli siege.

Abu Halima believes that the real Israeli siege on Gaza has begun before more than 5 years, but it was tightened on June 2007.

In June 2007, Hamas Islamist movement forcibly took over Gaza after bloody clashes with the Palestinian official security apparatuses.

"I used to plant 18 donums of carnation, nowadays I just work for two donums only," Abu Halima said.

At least 4500 Palestinian work at flower sector in Gaza, all of them lost their last hope when the Agricultural Society, in Gaza, declared Monday the end of flower season.

In a press conference held at RNA in Gaza, Ghassan Qassem, Chairman of the Agricultural Society said that the farmers ended their flower season because of the siege and power cuts.

Qassem said that the Palestinian farmers used to export 60 million flowers a years while this year the Israelis allowed them to export 5 million flowers only.

He pointed out that production of flower costs lots of money while exporting is impossible in such stranglehold on Gaza.

Qassem added that the farmers have no more fuel to operate their engines of water pumps or generators.

He added that the Israelis opened the borders of Gaza for importing Israeli transplants and prevented them from exporting products.

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