The Marker: Israeli Farmers Face a Disaster of 'Spartan Economy'

SadaNews - Israeli mango farmers have found themselves stuck with a massive surplus of crop rotting on the trees with no buyers.

According to a report published by the Hebrew economic newspaper "The Marker", this crisis reflects the dark side of what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described a few days ago when he said that Israel might turn into a "super-Sparta", forced into a self-closed autarkic economy.

The newspaper added that the crisis is no longer just political rhetoric, but a reality that farmers experience every day.

Severe losses and stifling European ban

The report included a shocking testimony from the daughter of a farmer from Galilee who wrote: "My father, who has been growing mangoes for 35 years, is stuck with over 100 tons of mangoes... due to the European ban and the market crisis. The entire crop is at risk of rotting and my father could lose millions of shekels".

She adds that the family is desperately trying to sell their produce locally for "75 shekels (about 22 dollars) for the large box (15 kilograms)" to minimize losses.

According to "The Marker", the European ban, which came as part of broader sanctions, closes a main outlet for farmers, as Europe accounts for about 32% of total Israeli exports. This means a direct blow to the mango sector which relied on it for disposing of its production, resulting, according to the newspaper, in a suffocating surplus in local markets and a near-total absence of solutions.

Impact of war and Trump tariffs make matters worse

The crisis is not solely a result of Europe, but deepens due to the war and the closure of Gaza and West Bank markets, where one farmer from Upper Galilee confirmed that "the collapse began with the tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump on Brazil, which led to flooding the European market with Brazilian mangoes and pushed us out of competition".

He added bitterly: "We are besieged from all sides, Palestinian markets are closed, Europe is heading towards boycott, and the mangoes are rotting before our eyes".

The newspaper pointed out that some farmers are trying to sell their crops through local purchasing groups or Facebook postings, but these initiatives are merely desperate attempts that do not address the depth of the crisis.

According to the newspaper, the farmer says: "Today it's mangoes, tomorrow it's avocados, and after that it's tomatoes. There is no way out of the disaster except through collective losses".

Collapse of trust and rising political tension

Meanwhile, the Israeli economy faces a double political and economic shock, where the head of the Manufacturers Association, Ron Tomer, told "The Marker" that "any wrong bombing in Gaza could turn the European stance against us", warning that the situation is "fragile and quick to explode".

This direct threat to the export sector exacerbates Israel's economic isolation and reflects the image of a state sinking into an unprecedented crisis.

The newspaper concluded that mango farmers have become a symbol of declining reality, turning into a living testament to what Netanyahu called "autarkic economy".

But in reality, as "The Marker" clarified, the result is far from strength: a local market flooded with spoiled fruit, farmers on the brink of bankruptcy, and a grim picture of an isolated and troubled economy, without solutions or prospects.