PARC encourage farmers to grow and process almonds because they have a high local and export price. The almonds that Trade Aid purchase from PARC come from Jenin and are part of a project where PARC pay 75% of the seed costs and then buy the almonds for processing from the farmers. They have set up women’s coops who are paid 1 ½ shekels/kilo to shell the almonds. 3 years ago they distributed 40,000 trees which take about 4 years to bear fruit. Almond trees unlike olives can grow too old to bear fruit and after 20 years they need to be replaced. The best production comes when the tree is between 15 to 20 years old.

PARC say the farmers like to sell them their product because they get paid straight away unlike other traders who make them wait. The current price PARC pay for almonds is 20 – 22 shekels/kg when the local market price is 12 – 16 shekels. PARC will make an agreement in April or May and pay 15% of the price upfront and then at the harvest time in August they will pay the balance after receiving and weighing the product. PARC has also helped these same farmers with other projects such as seeds, seedlings, water and rehabilitation of the land.

Mohammed Talfiq and Ahmed Zggl olive and almond farmers working with PARC

Mohammed Talfiq

Mohammed Talfiq is the President of Cooperative of North Western Jenin (which covers all agricultural products). Last year Mohammed planted 200 Dunum of almonds (A dunum is 1000 square meters).

“I have 4 children at University and now, after the wall, many people have lost their jobs so these almonds have created more employment. We can plant new trees every year. I lost a part of my land with the wall. It had wheat and beans growing on it. It’s very important to make very good quality products and to harvest at the right time, it is best not to harvest them all at the same time but daily harvest only a portion and then shell them right away”.

Ahmed Zggal

Ahmed Zggal is the Coordinator of Almond farmers in Jenin. He coordinates all logistics between the almond farmers and PARC. He lets the farmers know what conditions the products need to be in for PARC to purchase them. He is also an almond farmer himself and has 70 Dunums.

“Firstly we do not use chemicals in almonds and we make the quality to international standards. We cultivate our almonds using very good methods because we are taught about the new and best ways to plant almonds. How to use compost and natural methods and also to use rain fed methods not irrigation. They have analysed the almonds and there is no chemical contamination."

"We have a lot of olives in Palestine but very few almonds. Before PARC started the almond programme the price was low 10 – 12 shekels, but since PARC started it is up to 22 shekels. The income of the families who produce almonds has increased. For myself I had 1 child in University and now I have 3. I couldn’t afford to do this before. For others they can now go to the hospital when they need to. In general it has helped in many ways. Many people lost their jobs with the wall and the almonds have given them a chance to be employed again. My land is near the military camp so sometimes I cannot get access to it.”