The Ministry of Agriculture reported today it had started its program of leasing Negev land to Israel’s 22. 500 wandering Beduin nominal fees. A total of some 80, 000 acres of land is involved.
Ministry officials said the land would be made available at lease fees of 11 cents per acre for arable land and seven cents per acre for grazing land. The Ministry will provide agricultural experts to advise the Beduin on crop rotation and modern farming methods.
A growing foreign demand from countries abroad for fire clay from Negev mines was reported here today. One shipload of 1, 200 tons has been loaded for transit to West Germany, An agreement has also been concluded for export of 5, 000 tons of the flint clay to a Western country. Talks for the sale of an additional 10, 000 tons of the clay were reported underway.
Other recent raw material shipments included the export of 500 tons of copper from the Timna mines for Spain and 1.400 tons of cement for Hungary.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.