Agriculture Ministry refuses to approve plum export to Russia

Forty tons of plums and nectarines scheduled for export to Russia were held up in Israel, as long as the farmers involved have not paid their fees & levies to the Plant Board
 
An export deal agreed upon by a Russian businessman and plum growers from Yesod Hamala could not go ahead last week due to Agriculture Ministry refusal to grant export license.
 
Forty tons of plums and nectarines scheduled for export to Russia were held up in Israel, as the Agriculture Ministry refused to approve the export license as long as the farmers involved have not paid their fees & levies to the Plant Board.
 
The growers were protesting last week the high fees levied on them for what they consider minimal return.
 
If the exports are not approved within the next few days, the export deal will be cancelled and the fruits will be sold on the local market and prices should drop.