For Sabbatical Year: Reduced Custom Levies

Finance Minister signed a directive to reduce customs levies on fresh agricultural produce imported for the ultra-Orthodox during the sabbatical year
 
A directive was signed last week by Finance Minister Roni Bar-On to reduce customs levies on fresh agricultural produce imported for the ultra-Orthodox community during the sabbatical, year.
 
For Orthodox Jews, the Holy Land takes on a new dimension of meaning in the shmita (sabbatical) year. The land literally becomes holy. So does anything grown in it. The Jewish Halakha says that fields owned by Jews within Israel must lie fallow every seventh year.
 
The new order will allow imports of up to 10% of the produce consumed in Israel, or about 100,000 tons.
 
Many of the fresh fruits and vegetables will be imported from Jordan, with which Israel already has mutual zero-customs agreements.
 
Bar-On emphasized that the order is for one year only, and will not harm local farmers.
Other produce, for example potatoes and carrots, may come from Turkey or Cyprus and customs duties on these products will be cut by 50%.