Agriculture Minister Accused of Sabotaging Reform with 'Food Security' Bill

Israeli Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter is pushing a "national food security" plan through the government, which critics argue is a move orchestrated by the agricultural lobby to derail a planned reform aimed at increasing competition and lowering prices. The proposal, set to be voted on by ministers, seeks to anchor food security as a national goal and approve a long-term plan until 2050. However, opponents, led by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, claim the bill is a "hostile takeover" that will "immediately raise the price of basic food products for Israeli citizens" and exacerbate the cost of living.

Sources familiar with the matter suggest Dichter is "assassinating" the agricultural reform, which previously aimed to gradually open the market to imports, provide direct support to farmers, and invest in technology. This reform, initiated by former ministers, sought to balance farmer support with market competition to encourage efficiency. Critics contend that Dichter, who has increasingly sided with growers over market liberalization, is using the guise of food security to maintain existing protections like quotas and import barriers, thereby preventing necessary industry modernization.

The proposed food security plan includes elements like increasing local production, preserving land, ensuring water and labor, investing in research, and strengthening the food industry. While acknowledging the importance of local production, especially after recent security events, critics argue the plan fails to address systemic issues like quotas and import protectionism. They fear that enshrining food security as a national objective until 2050 will make future reforms aimed at reducing tariffs or opening the market significantly more difficult, as any such move could be framed as a threat to national security.

Minister Dichter, however, defended the plan, stating it was developed over two years by professionals from multiple ministries and the IDF to ensure genuine food security against climate change challenges. He asserted that the plan reverses a previous trend, making local production central and imports a supporting pillar. Dichter highlighted actions taken, such as lowering water prices for farmers against the Finance Ministry's stance and increasing the number of foreign workers, which he believes will lead to price reductions. He also criticized the Finance Ministry's opposition as baseless, both historically and currently.