Israel will invest 180 million shekels (48.5 million dollars) to rehabilitate and develop agricultural farms in the Tekuma region near the Gaza Strip border.

The Israeli Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said most of the farms in the region’s villages were damaged or abandoned after the Hamas attack last October 7, 2023.

The amount would be provided throughout the current year by the ministry and the Tekuma authorities responsible to carry out a national mission of rebuilding and developing the communities in the region.

The ministry’s Director General Oren Lavi noted in the statement that the Tekuma region is considered Israel’s granary of grain and vegetables, an important anchor for the country’s food security and functional continuity.

He added that this was an unprecedented investment in scope, expected to completely change the region’s agriculture, making it advanced and technological.

He added that support would also be given for upgrading and expanding farms, buying advanced equipment, and improving infrastructure to boost farm productivity and food output.

(Xinhua/NAN)