A plurality of the Israeli public opposes rezoning farmland for real estate projects, according to a survey by Market Watch Institute on behalf of Kanat Ltd., an insurance fund for natural risks in agriculture.
The survey asked 500 respondents, "Is the loss of agricultural land for real estate projects good or bad for the country?"
43% of respondents said that the rezoning of agricultural land for real estate projects was bad for the country irrespective of the reason; 33% said that it was all right, but only for projects of national importance; and 18% said that it was good, provided that there was no alternative.
Kanat found that respondents aged 45-64 attached greater importance to agricultural land than people aged 25-34.
Kanat CEO David Ginsburg said, "Despite the land shortage in central Israel, and the desire to find cheap land reserves in the proximity of large cities, Israelis understand the importance of agricultural land, and that it should not be surrendered for convenience."
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on March 22, 2009
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