Gaza self-sufficient in growing grapes

Only a few years after farmers in the Gaza Strip started to harvest seedless grapes, the sector has likely achieved self-sufficiency with more than 1,500 acres of vineyards. Muhammad Abu Kamil, the Gaza ministry of agriculture’s director general of rural development, told Ma’an Tuesday his ministry would not allow importing any grapes from outside. “There are 7,000 dunums (1,750 acres) of vine trees including seedless grapes,” he said during a ceremony declaring the start of grape season in the Gaza Strip. He highlighted that seedless grapes ripen early in the season which helps with self-sufficiency. Hammad Abu Arada, a Gaza farmer, says 1,000 square meters of vine trees produc between 2.5 and 3 tons of grapes. He added that with good irrigation, productivity would likely increase.