Six trucks carrying two hundreds tons of Golden Delicious and Starking apples grown by farmers in the Israeli-Golan Heights passed through QUNEITRA border crossing point last Monday ( 14/3) in the first commercial traffic between the two countries in more than three decades.
Damascus agreed early this month to let farmers in the Golan sell their Golden Delicious and Starking apples - renowned as particularly delicious because they are grown on high ground.
The customs clearing process carried out by Messers Raphael Katz Ltd, first ever to be carried out by an Israeli customs broker, was closely monitored by the Israeli Customs Authority who assisted in the smooth transfer of the cargo at the border crossing.
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) delegation head Jean-Jacques Fresard told reporters that about 220 tons of apples from a total of 7,700 tons will cross daily into Syria in the next several weeks, The U.N.-monitored business transaction, carried out by Kenyans driving trucks with the Swiss license plates of the International Committee of the Red Cross.
The trucks carried the fruit across the border and passed them to Syrian trucks waiting a half-mile away. The apples are expected to be sold for about 29 - 31 cents per pound, and some might be exported. Druz growers praised the work made by Messers Raphael Katz.
