Two Years After the Tomato Crisis: Local Production Strengthened and Prices Dropped

Two years after the tomato crisis triggered by the 'Swords of Iron' war, local production has strengthened and prices have dropped to about 4 shekels per kilo. The Agriculture Ministry attributes the change to investment in production, expansion of growing areas, rehabilitation of greenhouses, and reinforcement of the workforce. Growers warn of high costs and question economic viability.

Two years after the war crisis led to a tomato shortage and soaring prices, Israel's tomato market looks different today: prices are at a seasonal low, and local produce has regained the majority of the market. The Agriculture Ministry attributes the change to investment in local production, expansion of growing areas, rehabilitation of greenhouses, reinforcement of the workforce, and targeted use of imports. Now it remains to be seen whether the improvement will hold during the shortage months. The tomato sector was one of the hardest-hit vegetable sectors during the 'Swords of Iron' war. Damage to greenhouses in the Gaza envelope, labor shortages, and the halt of imports from Turkey created a severe supply crisis and led to a spike in tomato prices. According to Agriculture Ministry data based on StoreNext data, the average consumer price was 7.36 shekels per kilo in 2022 and dropped slightly to 6.94 shekels in 2023. At the start of the year, prices remained around 7 shekels per kilo, and at Passover there was a moderate rise to about 7.5 shekels, but from August to November the sharpest surge occurred, with the price crossing the 10-shekel mark and reaching about 11 shekels. To prevent an even more severe shortage, the Agriculture Ministry activated an emergency plan based on increasing imports in the short term and expanding local production in the medium term. Temporary duty-free quotas of about 5,000 tons each were opened, and regulatory adjustments were completed to allow imports from 22 additional countries. In parallel, about 20 million shekels were allocated to move growing areas to safer regions, and about 12 million shekels to encourage summer growing. The impact began to show during 2025. New greenhouses entered production, alternative growing areas yielded produce, and the number of foreign workers increased. According to grower Achi Sitbon, within about six months, yields on his farm grew by more than 20%. From May, a significant price decline began, down to the range of 5.5–6 shekels per kilo. In summer 2026, the market relied mainly on local produce, and the consumer price hovered around 4 shekels per kilo. The first import shipment of the year, about 17 tons from Jordan, arrived only at the end of July. Growers warn that growing costs are high and there is a question about economic viability, as the price to farmers has dropped by about 50%.