The Ministry of Economy will allocate an additional quota for duty-free import of cheese

The decision was made as a continuation of the program launched at the beginning of the year. Then, as a result of the competition, four companies received the right to duty-free import of cheese, which is now sold in about 600 stores at a price of 3–3.5 shekels per 100 grams. Since the beginning of the year, 3,187 tons of cheese have already been imported into Israel out of an allocated quota of 5,503 tons.

The new quota is designed to expand the range of cheap imported cheese not only in large retail chains, but also in small shops and minimarkets.

According to the terms of the competition, the retail price of cheese should not exceed 4 shekels per 100 grams in retail chains participating in the program or 4.5 shekels per 100 grams in other retail outlets, including grocery stores and minimarkets.

The ministry expects that an increase in the supply of imported cheese will increase competition and force leading producers to also reduce prices.

To stimulate the participation of importers, the winners of the competition will also receive the right to import an additional 45% of the allocated quota in the form of duty-free imports of premium cheeses.