At the company FruitPro, of Ridderkerk, which is part of the Israeli Galilee Export, the phone is ringing every minute. "Since the attacks happened, we have remained in touch with our Israeli friends. Many are calling to express their condolences and our customers also want to know if the programs will continue," said André Nieuwenhuis.
Andre Nieuwenhuis with his colleagues Paul van Douwen and Ate Kalsbeek
"Our two largest avocado packing stations are located in the north of the country, far away from Gaza. On Sunday, which is a normal working day in Israel, the packing stations were closed by order of the army, mainly because of a threat coming from Lebanon (Hezbollah). Fortunately, that did not materialize and on Monday these packing stations were reopened. So for now, we are getting our avocados in as usual," says André. "The impact is greater for citrus fruits. A number of farms of grapefruits and sweeties are located in the south and everything there is currently at a standstill."
"All in all, the situation is definitely having an impact on our operations, and the season was just beginning. We have colleagues in Israel with children serving in the military who may be deployed to Gaza. They are understandably in shock. But the worst, of course, is all the people who have been taken hostage, or who are missing loved ones and don't know where they are. It shows us what blind hatred can lead to. We hope and pray that Hamas will be eliminated; everyone in that area will be better off," concluded the importer.
For more information:
FruitPro
Handelsweg 180
2988 DC Ridderkerk. NL
Tel. 0180 763 390
info@fruitpro.nl
www.fruitpro.nl