RAMALLAH / PNN /

Palestinian institutions across the public, private and civil sectors are preparing to launch the annual Grape Festival and Market in Bethlehem, aimed at supporting local farmers, officials said Friday.

Munjed Abu Jeish, Director General of the Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committees, told Palestine News Network (PNN) that the Ministry of Agriculture, the Bethlehem Chamber of Commerce, Al-Khader Municipality and the Agricultural Relief Committees are jointly organising the event, which has become a yearly tradition.

Abu Jeish said there is broad interest in the festival, which is expected to attract strong participation this year. He expressed hope that farmers from villages across Bethlehem governorate would take part in the market to sell their produce directly to the public.

“Bethlehem alone has more than 15,000 dunams (3,700 acres) of vineyards, with each dunam producing around one tonne of grapes,” Abu Jeish said. “Grapes and vine leaves are therefore an important agricultural wealth, and we must preserve and develop this festival every year.”

The grape market will be held in the town of Al-Khader, south of Bethlehem, with the aim of strengthening the Palestinian agricultural sector, he added. 

The event provides direct contact between farmers and consumers, ensuring fair trade and preventing exploitation by intermediaries. Previous editions, Abu Jeish noted, succeeded in selling all grapes brought to the market at fair prices for both farmers and buyers.

He urged greater support for Palestinian agricultural products, stressing that every governorate has its own speciality crops that should be marketed. He also called on authorities to regulate imports of Israeli produce, warning that Palestinian farmers suffer heavy annual losses, particularly vegetable growers in the northern West Bank.

“If farmers abandon their land because of repeated losses, no one will replace them,” he said. “That would drive up prices in the future. Protecting farmers is also protecting consumers.”

Abu Jeish called on both the government and private sector to invest in agriculture, such as food industries and export markets, citing successful examples in date and olive oil exports that have helped offset farmers’ losses.

The Agricultural Relief Committees, he explained, dedicate their entire budget to supporting farmers, from providing seedlings and land rehabilitation to drilling wells, opening agricultural roads and offering grants for youth-led projects. He highlighted achievements such as introducing strawberry cultivation to the West Bank, where 250 dunams are now planted, covering half of local demand, as well as boosting guava and avocado farming in Qalqilya and Tulkarem and high-yield date farming in Jericho.

Abu Jeish said the organisation has rehabilitated more than 100,000 dunams of land and opened hundreds of kilometres of agricultural roads, underscoring the importance of coordination among all stakeholders to sustain Palestinian farmers amid mounting challenges.

He urged the public to actively support farmers by attending the upcoming Grape Festival in Al-Khader and purchasing local produce, “even at a slightly higher price, because it means supporting farmers, keeping them on their land and strengthening our resilience.”

“The Palestinian farmer works all year and waits for this moment to sell his produce,” Abu Jeish said. “Our national responsibility is to ensure he does not fall into despair. Every purchase of local produce is an investment in the farmer’s survival on his land.”