The Philippines’ Department of Agriculture (DA) has downplayed any effect on its 65-year long agricultural trade with Israel despite the ongoing conflict in Gaza. 

Speaking October 10, 2023, DA’s Assistant Secretary for Operations, Arnel de Messa said that there will be “very little impact.”

Israel is currently involved in retaliation against Hamas, which launched a surprise attack inside Israel over the weekend, killing hundreds. 

Food Trade Important to Israel

Even as the conflict rages, food security is still a topmost priority for the region. 

Israel’s food sector plays an important role in the consumer market as 15% of all household budgets go to food.

While feeding its population with the surplus, the country manages to export $2.181 billion (2020 data) in agricultural goods while food imports amount to $7.09 billion (2020 data).

The United States and the Philippines are key allies in Israeli agricultural trade. In 2020, the U.S. exported $500 million worth of food products to Israel or 7.1% of the Israeli market share.

The U.S. main exports to Israel include tree nuts,  which were worth $123.52 million in 2022.  Corn, the second biggest agricultural good that the U.S. shipped there, experienced most Israeli demand in 2022.

The Philippines, in its part, saw a phenomenal improvement in trade with Israel, which grew by 94% in 2022 from 2021.

Agriculture represented 1.6% of the total exports worth $340 million by Israel to the Philippines in 2022. Key shipped produce and foodstuff included vegetables, fruit juice, sauce and sugar. 

Thanks to its lush Ag economy, the Philippines’ agricultural exports ranked second among all exports to Israel in 2022.  Food shipments represented 6.1%, while machinery took the lion’s share of 83% of all shipped goods.

The agricultural range from Manila to Israel includes coconut and tree nuts, fruits, fruit juice, wheat products, pasta and fish. 

 

PH’s Fruit Juice exports, Fertilizer imports in 2023

By mid-2023, Israel had already  imported 3.366 million in agricultural goods from Manila. In equal measure, the Philippines imported 4,555 tonnes of potash fertilizer from Israel between January and October, 2023. 

De Messa notes that in 2022, Israel bought 3.441 million kg of desiccated coconut and fruit concentrates from his country. 

He is looking forward for a fast resolution to the Hamas-Israel war for the good of bilateral operations, particularly Israeli agricultural trade.