Raed Moussa-Gaza
The first plastic factory established in the Gaza Strip more than three decades ago is in danger of collapse, for many reasons related to the Israeli blockade and internal division, the denial of export, the difficulty of importing raw materials, and the crisis of power outages.
The company, founded in 1986, had to lay off 35 workers, leaving only 20 to survive as long as possible in the face of challenges.
Khalil Ramlawi, the company's production manager, told Al Jazeera Net that the factory started to be affected clearly and seriously after the split in 2007, and the Israeli occupation tightened its suffocating siege on the Gaza Strip, `` we had to stop working completely for a few months because of the lack of raw materials. ''
Recycling of plastic waste
To overcome the acute shortage of raw materials, Ramlawi explained that they resorted to recycling using plastic waste in the manufacturing process.
The three years since the 2014 Israeli war on the Gaza Strip were the most difficult for Ramlawi and other plastics factories, with Israel banning the supply of raw materials on the grounds that they were “dual-use” and could enter the arms and military equipment industry.
| Israel prevented the supply of raw materials and spare parts to the Gaza Strip, which affected factories |
Ramlawi stressed that a large number of plastic factories in Gaza have been forced to close because of the economic deterioration and the accumulation of debt on them, and their inability to compete with imported plastic goods sold at prices often equal to the prices of raw materials used by local factories.
Ramlawi fears that if the serious deterioration in the economic situation continues, the fate of their factory will be like the others that were closed.
"After we had an ambitious plan to fully cover the needs of the Gaza market for plastic industries, especially water hoses, plastic bags and agricultural plastics, we are now afraid of the inability to survive," he said.
Ramlawi explained that the share of the factory in the local market fell from 60% to 20% only, due to unfair competitiveness with poor imported goods at low prices, and the lack of laws to protect local products, as well as the obstacles of the power outage crisis and the difficulty of importing raw materials, and double taxation Because of the internal division, which raises the cost of domestic product.
Despite the difficult reality, Ramlawi stressed that the factory is still able to compete and cover the needs of the market in Gaza, if it finds government support by reducing taxes and preventing the import of bad goods, as well as the availability of raw materials.
Sami al-Naffar, president of the Federation of Plastic Industries, agrees with Ramlawi that the opening of the Gaza market to import from abroad without taking into account the owners of local factories has greatly damaged the plastic industry sector, because of "unfair competition."
| Employment in the plastics sector in Gaza decreased by 60% (Al-Jazeera) |
Constraints
In an interview with Al Jazeera Net, Al-Naffar identified many obstacles to the work of the plastic industries in Gaza, most notably the Israeli siege and internal division, and the related deprivation of export and import of raw materials and spare parts, and double taxation.
He pointed out that the plastic factories resorted to the difficulty of importing raw materials to rely on recycling by 75% of the volume of production, while the proportion of raw materials in their industries only 25%.
Al-Naffar confirmed that 73 factories in Gaza are facing a serious collapse, while the owners of nine factories were forced to close them completely, pointing out that the productivity of the active factories currently decreased from 80% of the needs of the local market to only about 15%.
He added that this fact, in addition to the destruction of some 40 factories during the recent Israeli war, which caused losses estimated at $ 11 million, and did not compensate so far, caused a decline in the number of workers in the plastic industry, which was estimated at 4500 workers before 2010 About 60%.
According to al-Naffar, the plastic industry needs urgent action to save it from total collapse, which requires the need to support local national products, through the enactment of supportive laws, tax cuts, and the granting of local factories in the initial bidding and projects, and the establishment of a loan bank to defaulters to help them survive and resilience.