Milk output can readily be increased by 20% to meet projected demand
When a wave of immigration swelled the population by one million in the 1990s, the dairy industry easily expanded its output to cater for increased demand.
Milk output could be increased by 20% in one or two years, if needs be, says Dan Levanon, Chief Scientist in the Ministry of Agriculture. This could happen if Middle Eastern peace allows Israel to supply the dairy products now imported into neighbouring Arab countries from Australia and New Zealand.
(The Government ultimately sets the size of the Israeli dairy quota each year at a level to match expected demand, and would obviously respond positively to such an export opportunity.)
Where now for the Israeli dairy industry, which has come through about five years of Government incentivised increase in average farm size, through amalgamations?
“Our mission now is to make dairy farming attractive,” says Levanon. Even here in the world’s most advanced dairy country, new recruits are getting thin on the ground, and have to be enticed.
If the export markets open up, farmers could double their milk production, says Dr Israel Flamenbaum, director of the animal husbandry and cattle division in the Ministry of Agriculture and rural development.
So there’s at least one country looking forward to the World Trade Organisation bringing in free trade; the Israelis are keeping a close watch on export opportunities to exploit their efficiencies.
Israeli technology is already a worldwide winner, for internationally well known companies like Afikim, or the less well known IEC Tech, which exports stainless steel equipment to 30 countries for smaller scale dairy processing.
Don’t be surprised to see more Israeli dairy related products, along with the huge amounts of fruit and veg already coming from the Mediterranean country.
