NEW YORK (Sep. 21)
“Over 1,200 American firms share in U.S. exports to Israel–the country with the highest per-capital imports from the U.S. outside of the Western Hemisphere,” according to R. Elchanani, a member of the board of the Tel Aviv Chamber of Commerce, who addressed a luncheon meeting here of the American-Israel Chamber of Commerce.
“In 1954 alone,” the Israeli businessman said, “$74,000,000 worth of American merchandise was exported to Israel, comprising both multi-million groups such as grains automobiles and machinery, and a variety of thousands of items. The purchases in the U.S. were but an indication of Israel’s being a country in need of large imports of raw materials, equipment and many foodstuffs and consumer goods, and therefore a country where competition between foreign suppliers was indeed keen.”
Successful sales on the Israel market, Mr. Elchanani pointed out, therefore frequently depended on the availability of a local agent or representative, with the necessary contacts knowledge of local needs and data. The speaker emphasized that only a small part of the purchases in the U.S. constituted purchases by the Israel Government. Direct businessman-to-businessman contacts were the best way to do business with Israel, Mr. Elchanani concluded.
