This year the Medjoul date harvest has started a little earlier than expected.
Higher than usual temperatures around Jericho have accelerated the ripening process allowing growers to start harvesting nearly 2 weeks earlier than last year – a welcome head start to the season.
However, the situation for farmers and workers remains challenging. Movement restrictions are still in place, similar to last season. Workers often face long waits at checkpoints or have to take longer routes to reach their work. Despite all these difficulties, Medjoul growers and suppliers continue to adapt to the unpredictability around them. They are committed to operating as efficiently as possible to deliver the new harvest.
For some, the season has begun very tensely. In Fara’a refugee camp in Tubas, where recent airstrikes have tragically claimed lives, many workers were unable to leave in order to reach their work further south in the Jordan Valley at the start of the harvest. Some suppliers have had to arrange for accommodation for dozens of workers near their factories to help them avoid travel in this precarious time.
In Al Auja (10km from Jericho), a natural spring serves as a vital water supply for surrounding communities. However, we are hearing that young armed settlers regularly appear to obstruct access to the water, either by diverting the spring, or wasting collected water, or simply by scaring people away from the source.
With no opportunity to sell product in Gaza and increasing dangers of working and travelling in the West Bank – compounded by a local economy that’s on the brink – our date suppliers face severe threats. In this context, foreign markets are even more crucial. As one supplier puts it, “Thank goodness we can still export.”
They don’t know how long they’ll be able to continue. In the meantime, the ability to harvest, sort, pack and export is providing employment to workers and bringing in much needed income to thousands of families, offering a vital lifeline for these communities.
Thank goodness we can still export…
