Wheat in the desert: Agriculture Ministry to invest NIS 500 million to reduce Israel’s dependence on grain imports

Israel’s Agriculture Ministry has announced a strategic plan to reduce the country’s dependence on wheat imports by increasing the cultivation of Israeli varieties.

As part of a plan agreed upon with the Finance and Energy Ministries, which will cost NIS 500 million to implement, the supply of purified wastewater suitable for agriculture from the central regions of the country to the Negev will be significantly increased.

By 2050, the plan is to increase agricultural water supplies by 270 million cubic meters per year, with an emphasis on areas suitable for growing wheat.

The goal of the project is to increase the share of local grains in the consumer basket from 10% to 30%.

Let us recall that a month ago, a project by the state water management company Mekorot was approved, which envisages the construction of a new water pipeline to settlements adjacent to the Gaza Strip.

The cost of the project is 400-500 million shekels, the planned completion date is 2030. Three pipes with a diameter of 2.5 meters will be laid on the 30-kilometer section for drinking water and purified water for agricultural needs.

The new water pipeline will more than double the amount of water that residents and farmers in the Western Negev will be able to receive, from 160-170 million cubic meters per year to 360-370 million cubic meters per year.