Summary

In October, 2005, the Minister for Agriculture from the Palestinian National Authority and the NSW Minister for Primary Industries agreed to collaborate in the exchange of technologies, especially in the fields of aquaculture, wild harvest fisheries and dryland agriculture. As a first step, the NSW Minister sent a delegation to the West Bank and the Gaza Strip to discuss possible areas of collaboration with staff from the Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture and to identify the next steps that should be taken in establishing this collaboration. The trip was a fact-finding tour, involving significant inspection of sites, facilities and meetings with officials, farmers and fishers.

This report outlines the findings of this trip. It briefly outlines the background situation (at the time of the visit) in this ever-changing part of the world and then describes the information gleaned from the trip on potential areas for collaboration for NSW DPI with the Palestinian Authority in agricultural, wild fisheries and aquaculture sectors. The report mostly concentrates on the aquaculture and wild fisheries sectors, because these were highlighted prior to, and during, the trip as areas where NSWDPI may have the greatest potential to make a difference in Palestine.

The report recommended that a follow-up delegation from NSW DPI to Palestine should explore ways of assisting the Palestinian Authority and farmers to: (i) develop particular dryland farming practices; (ii) classify Palestinian varieties of “Holy Land” olives with a view to introduce the best or most appropriate varieties to Australia; and (iii) identify joint projects in aquaculture that would, in the first instance, lead to a significant aquaculture industry in the West Bank, specifically around the Jericho area.