Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon on Thursday panned business woman Raya Strauss, of Strauss Elite foods, one of Israel's leading food conglomerates, following comments she made regarding the soaring prices of tomatoes and the challenges facing the agricultural sector. In an interview to Army Radio Strauss said: "Maybe it's harsh, but if something's expensive, let them eat something else. Our land is overflowing with fruits and vegetables; we don't have to stick with tomatoes," Strauss said. Speaking at the Galilee Conference, Kahlon responded harshly to Strauss' remarks: "It is unfortunate when callous people, with money coming out of their ears, recommend that other people not eat tomatoes and at the same time criticize me for lowering prices." Strauss, who sold her holdings in Strauss Group Ltd. for $160 million, said that what she was saying was justified. "Does the fact that I can afford to buy expensive tomatoes mean I shouldn't speak out? This is what I think. I grew up without tomatoes, too. I grew up during the period of austerity, when even people with money had nothing to buy. There just wasn't anything." "I live in the Galilee, where agriculture is a significant source of income. Neglecting the farmers means neglecting the Galilee and the Negev, which means destroying entire communities. I've been following this for a long time. It's been happening for years," Strauss said. Strauss pointed her finger at the government, saying, "Where is the government to soundly say, 'Sorry, tomatoes are hard to come by at the moment, eat something else'-" to which Kahlon replied, "Ms. Raya, not everybody was born into the Strauss family." "Before you tell other people what to eat, you need to set an example and stop eating tomatoes yourself. Is this the Israeli society we aspired to? Just a few months ago, in September, tomatoes were being sold at NIS 18 [about $5] per kilo. We lowered the barriers and avoided hurting the farmers. On Sunday, I will be going up north again to meet with the farmers, and I promise no farmers will be harmed by the coming reforms," Kahlon said. Dovi Amitai, president of the Farmers Federation of Israel, responded to Kahlon's comments about Raya Strauss, calling his statements "disrespectful and populist ... just like the finance minister's reforms."
