Jerusalem, 10 February, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Inspectors from the Plant Protection and Inspection Services at the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, in cooperation with customs inspectors at Ben Gurion Airport, thwarted the smuggling of various citrus propagation materials into israel, including a one-meter-tall lemon tree sapling. The sapling was found to be infected with greening disease, a devastating citrus disease that does not exist in Israel, and the ministry, in cooperation with the citrus industry, is investing millions of shekels in a strategic defense plan in an effort to prevent its penetration into Israel and protect the citrus industry from extinction.
The smuggling was uncovered thanks to a scan of the suitcase of a passenger in his 70s, a resident of Holon, who was returning from Thailand to Israel on a flight. The scan revealed a shipment of plant materials, including a one-meter-tall lemon tree sapling that was disposed of in his suitcase. Upon his return to Israel, the passenger passed through the green lane at customs, but during a random inspection, the plant was found in his suitcase along with various exotic fruits, vegetables, and root crops. All of these were confiscated from the passenger, who had previously been caught returning from abroad with a quantity of fresh mangoes, which could carry pests.
The lemon seedling was sent for examination by the Plant Protection Services and audit at the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, where it was found to be infected with the greening disease (Huanglongbing). Greening is a particularly serious disease in citrus, which does not exist in Israel, and is caused by a bacterium (Candidatus Liberibacter) that attacks and develops in the tree’s vascular tubes. Greening disease is considered one of the most destructive citrus diseases, causing heavy damage to the citrus industry.
As has happened in citrus growing areas where it has invaded in Brazil and Florida in the USA. The damage caused by the disease in places where it has spread is estimated at many millions of dollars per year, as a result of damage to the citrus crop, felling of orchards and associated expenses. The cumulative economic impact of the disease worldwide is currently estimated at billions of dollars. In an immediate response to the risk, the lemon seedling was destroyed along with the rest of the plant material that was seized.