Agricultural Development in the West Bank (ص 170)

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Agricultural Development in the West Bank (ص 170)

المحتوى

4,
to a halt immediately after occupation, This has severely
hindered the rapid growth of poultry and limited its modernization
potential. The credit situation further tightened when dealers
of poultry supplies curtailed their over-draft facilities to
their clients, insisting instead on cash payment.
Competition with Israeli produce in local markets. This is
undoubtedly the most serious impediment to a prosperous local
Poultry industry. The crux of the problem is that Israeli
Producers have the advantages of economies of scale which
enable them to raise their productivity much higher than is
Possible in the modest poultry farms on the West Bank. In
addition to the benefits of scale, Israeli poultry producers
have been aided by an elaborate scheme of subsidies, which until
the late seventies amounted to 20-30 percent of the farm-gate
Price, This placed West Bank poultry raisers at a major
disadvantage and limited their chances of competing successfully
with the cheap eggs and broilers available to poultry merchants
from Israeli farms. Had they not adapted to such hazards by
minimizing their out-of-pocket costs, most West Bank poultry
Producers would have been forced to close down.
Although direct subsidies to Israeli poultrymen have been
Officially stopped for the last two years, raisers still
receive subsidies in less direct forms, though at a lower scale
than they were used to, This is an important reason for the
improved stability in the profitability of west Bank poultry
farming during the past few years,
The question of competition with Israeli produce has another
Interesting aspect, namely that West Bank poultry products
328
are strictly forbidden entry into Israeli markets. When this
regulation was put into practice it meant banning the flow of
eggs and broilers from various parts of the West Bank through
East Jerusalem en route to other districts, because the Israeli
authorities consider East Jerusalem as part of Israel.
Consequently, this has reduced free adjustment of market prices
in the northern and southern districts of the West Bank and
deprived poultry producers of available opportunities.
Unsatisfactory auxiliary marketing services. This is most clear
in regard to broilers which are gmerally sold alive to consumers
in retail poultry shops. The problem here is twofold. In the
first place the quality of processing is poor, the presence of
such shops in crowded markets results in important hygienic
Problems. Furthermore, selling broilers alive makes them a
fragile commodity and prevents farmers from stocking their
Produce in cold storage, should there be a slackening in prices.
An earlier study by the present author has revealed deep-rooted
reservations against buying ready-to-cook chickens. Most
consumers believe that slaughtering of chickens in modern
machines doesn't conform to religious rituals, and it may
@lso encourage producers to slaughter and sell what otherwise
might have been sick and unmarketable chickens.
As for eggs, the problems of marketing are of a different
nature. Most importantly it is apparent that eggs are not
held in cool stores during the hot summer months, which often
results in rapid deterioration in their quality. This, however,
is not normally a serious problem given the rapid turn-over of
table eggs in the local market.
1. Hisham Awartani, pereeting Of Loon are rod ers tn jordan
M.Sc. thesis (American University of Beirut - School of
Agriculture, 1964).

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Agricultural Development in the West Bank

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Hisham Masoud Awartani

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