Hasna' Al-Rantisi

While Palestinian products hustle in the local market, facing the weak economy and Israeli occupation's restrictions and forced inundation of the market with Israeli products and other Arab and international products. It has to preserve the highest standerds to compete and the palestinians should start giving preference to their local products.

Therefore, Palestinian producers work to prove their distinction in local and global markets to raise their share of the Palestinian market first, before competing for the shelves of foreign markets, side by side with international products.

Despite the obstacles, the Palestinian products did not neglect international food safety standards. Rather, the products proved worthy by aquiring top quality certificates and marks that live up to the national Palestinian identity to fit a heroic mission.

Palestinian products are succeeding globally.

Bilal Amos, director of Birzeit University laboratories, says that any food product must meet food safety conditions, as our industrial food products meet international quality requirements, and without that they cannot compete, stressing that Palestinian products are superior to other products, as Palestinian results came better than Israeli results.

Amos also cited Palestinian honey, which won several awards, including the Italian honey award, as the best honey in the Middle East. Palestinian oil has the best quality in the world, and is known for its properties and quality. In addition to that, local companies are exported abroad, such as the Siniora factory, which is exported to the Gulf countries, where everyone competes to implement the strongest standards of quality and safety conditions.

He also cites pharmaceutical factories, indicating that they are among the best factories in the Middle East, where they have laboratories and self-monitoring, and even if the health does not take samples for testing, their products are universal and meet global requirements and safety conditions.

Amos said that we must work on the culture of people and convince them that our products are better and safer than other products, adding, "Through my dealings with many factories, I confirm that they have self-monitoring and external control."

Bassam Walweil, Chairman of the Board of Directors - Palestinian Food Industries Union, said that the Palestinian national product has proven its worth, as we export more than one billion dollars annually, for example in 2019 we exported to many countries in the world, including stone, medicine, food and other materials. The food product has proven its worth, reaching many European countries, such as Canada, America, Japan, and other Arab and Islamic countries.

Walweil also asserted that the national product has become trusted in the food basket in Palestine, as its share was small in the food basket, while its share became above 50%.

In turn, Haider Hajjah, Director General of the Palestinian Standards and Metrology Institution, said that the Palestinian products have obtained the certificates of the Standards and Metrology Institution and the various quality and conformity certificates. Our products meet the technical requirements of the final product in addition to that the manufacturing processes are subject to the follow-up and implementation of the Standards Institution on an ongoing basis, about 200 to 220 or 230 Palestinian companies hold Foundation Marks certificates.

Obstacles to the progress of the national product

Walwell indicated for several reasons that negatively affected the progress of the national product, due to the products imported from the occupying entity or from other countries, where unfair competition and tampering with customs or smuggling of goods, and when evading the payment of customs or tax, this negatively affects the national product.

On the other hand, Walweil pointed out that the competitiveness is not in favor of the national product, but rather in favor of the occupying or foreign product because it does not pay taxes or customs, for example Palestinian telecommunications companies pay 15% income tax, 16% value-added tax and 6% revenue fees, so costs are about 36%. As for the occupation companies, they do not pay these fees, as they have their towers in their settlements, and therefore many Palestinians receive the service or product from the occupation or other smuggled countries that do not pay the 16% of the fees that we pay, and therefore there is no justice for competition.

Palestinian product; top Safety

For his part, Hajjah said that the Standards and Metrology Institute is working to develop the Palestinian standard, particularly for food products and consumer products such as cleaning materials and other products, indicating their attempt to have the specifications in their requirements higher than the requirements of neighboring countries, as part of our market is an Israeli market and another part of the markets Arab countries, and this requires maintaining higher standards in order to be able to export to these markets.

Hajjah added, "From a commercial point of view, when we talk about industries, specifically food industries, we are talking about strict specifications and instructions, especially in cases related to food additives, whether in the form of preservatives, colorings, or other additives. We also prohibit the use of chemicals in many Of the products, and if we allow their use, we allow that for the purposes of manufacturing and in very small quantities, unlike other products, whether Israeli or other products. Examples are many, whether dairy products or canned goods in general, such as tahini, food products, processed meats and other other products.

Hajjah said that his company stresses the issue of the shelf life associated with the use of preservatives. The higher the shelf life, the higher the percentage of preservatives.

There are also mandatory technical instructions that oblige the producers to use some different restrictions according to the type of production.

He added, "The important issue that must be clarified is that our national products are subject to the monitoring of the Standards Institution and subject to the supervision of the Ministry of Health and subject to the Ministry of Economy, whether in the factory or in the market, unlike the products that come to us from abroad, we do not have any kind of control over the production process for them, while inside Palestine." We monitor the final product and the production process, through the production lines, to the final product. "

The role of Palestinan people. 

Walweil called on the Ministry of Finance to exert more effort and activity to control the smuggling of goods, as we lose tens of millions of dollars annually, by about 300 to 400 million dollars, as a result. More effort is required so that all these sums that can solve economic problems are not wasted on the state treasury.

He added, "First, it is officially required to change the prevailing culture regarding the national product to change the negative stereotype about preferring the Israeli and imported product to it, and secondly to create an incentive policy for the national product by reducing the costs of production inputs, for example from the costs of water, electricity and fuel in the industrial and agricultural sector. We buy electricity at 70 agora. Israel then buys it with 38 agora, and the government has to interfere in pricing, and the bids require that they be a national product. "

Regarding the price, he said that no one makes fictional profits, as prices are set according to costs, and with regard to production inputs, prices are appropriate and very excellent.

For his part, Hajjah affirmed that his institution is working within normal conditions on awareness programs for school students, and we have a full program every year to visit schools and provide educational lectures to students in schools and universities, and we also hold workshops constantly for producers, importers, supervisory authorities and inspectors who monitor the markets. In general, the media has a large and very important role in awareness, and the producers themselves have a role in raising awareness and highlighting the positive features in their products.

Hajjah explained that the Palestinian consumer has many options, in the food industry we have more than one factory, so let him try more than one product instead of blind loyalty to a non-Palestinian product just because it is so, so he must give a chance to a new product, for example, there are 6 or 7 dairies factories, meat factories. There are 6 or 7 meat factories, so the options have become wide for the Palestinian consumer.

He also called on Palestinian producers to increase the profit margin of the traders and distributors, so that merchants can better promote the products.