PFU Gaza Director: "The Agricultural Sector Lives a Disaster"

Al-Quds Newspaper- May 27, 2008, page 25, No. 13928
GAZA STRIP- Sadat, the director of the Palestinian Farmers Union and agronomist in the Gaza Strip, said, "The agricultural sector in Gaza lives a true disaster. It is being exposed to the Israeli occupation's attack, which never for a moment hesitates to bulldoze agricultural lands, uproot trees or destroy the agricultural infrastructure. In addition farmers are continuously targeted which has led to the death of dozens of them."
Sadat pointed out that the agricultural sector's losses are estimated to be in the millions of dollars and farmers cannot find a helping hand or any contribution to offset their losses.
He pointed out that the agriculture sector in Gaza today is living a real setback and this sector is facing a constant decline due to the Israeli siege and closure.
Sadat said, "If conditions remain at a standstill, soon we will mourn the death of the agricultural sector in Gaza and we will be without any kind of crop."
As the Director of the Palestinian Farmers Union in the Gaza Strip, he appealed to all human rights and humanitarian organizations as well as the international community to work to save the Palestinian agricultural sector, in order to preserve the rights of Palestinians who are suffering a lot due to the occupation.
Sadat pointed out that the agricultural sector is one of the important sectors for Palestinian families especially since the majority of families in the north and south make their living from agricultural production.
He explained that the PFU works despite the deteriorating economic conditions, noting that PFU aims to defend the interests of farmers and their causes. PFU aims to solve many of these issues, in addition to providing farmers with information about their rights and developing their knowledge and capacities through holding dozens of courses, meetings and workshops.
Sadat clarified that PFU works with a number of cooperatives and associations in the Gaza Strip, which aim primarily to serve small farmers who suffer from daily losses that have a beginning but seems to have no end.
He pointed out that farmers have become one of the poorest groups in society and in need of a helping hand to advance again. Many of them work on over-worked cultivated land or left the land under-worked due to the absence of fuels, agricultural materials and the Israeli daily land bulldozing, especially in the agricultural areas near the points of contact with Israeli forces.
The agronomist Sadat appealed to President Mahmoud Abbas and the Prime Minister to help farmers and to discuss their affairs and their problems in order to alleviate their suffering. He also called to increase their steadfastness to their land which is suffering now just as its owners suffer.
The Director of the Palestinian Farmers Union in the Gaza Strip also appealed to provide urgent projects to a special category of farmers especially that they are living the disaster under the difficult conditions experienced by Gaza Strip due to Israeli siege and closure.