Despite the ongoing war in Israel, the sweet potato harvest for 2024 looks promising, with the local market being the industry’s top priority. Guy David, chairman of the Israeli Sweet Potato Industry Association, says: “The war has brought great challenges in the planting season. We now have many Thai workers in the fields. Planting is going much better because the Thai workers are working very hard. We are very happy with this and expect a good yield.”

Guy David, Chairman of the Israeli Sweet Potato Industry Association.

Many of the sweet potato fields are located on the northern border with Gaza, which has now become a military zone. David says that growers have managed to plant more in the center of the country. “With the help of many people, we have been able to shift production to the center of the country. We are having a very good sweet potato harvest. We have managed to plant a lot more sweet potatoes in the center of Israel.”

He says that around 12,000 dunams (1,200 hectares) are planted with sweet potatoes, all under irrigation. “This means our yield is much higher. We don’t export much. Our focus is not on exports, but on the main market in Israel, as the British pound and the euro are lower than they used to be compared to the Israeli shekel. Some input costs have also become very high due to the war. The war is also affecting other producing countries in the region that used to send products to Israel via Gaza, but can no longer do so,” explains David.

He is responsible for the marketing of David’s Fruit, the family business founded by his late father, Itay David. The farm is located in Moshav Adanim in central Israel. Guy’s mother, Michelle David, now owns the farm and his brother, Idan David, is in charge of the fields. They mainly grow sweet potatoes and other vegetables.

Planning the first World Congress on Sweet Potatoes in Israel
“We are currently organizing the first World Congress on Sweet Potatoes in Israel. If it weren’t for the war, we would have already held the event here. The goal is to hold the World Congress every two years,” concludes David.

For more informations:
David Guido
David’s Fruit
Phone: +972 545833353
E-mail: (email protected)