Nefesh BNefesh

There are currently about 400 chemical plants operating in Israel and over 28,000 employees in this industry. This number has been on the rise over the past decade.  

The Israeli chemical industry can be divided into four major fields: Oil refineries and the petrochemical industry, producers of fertilizers and chemicals based on minerals found in Israel, producers of pesticides, and pharmaceuticals. While the petrochemical industry is mainly located in the northern part of the country, the other three are concentrated in the South. 

Ramat Hovav, located approximately eight miles southeast of Be’er Sheva, is at the center of the chemical industry in the South, hosting 17 chemical factories and concentrating over half of Israel’s chemical plants in a single 5,500 acre industrial park. 

The Ramat Hovav site provides employment for nearly 4,000 local workers, and the factories located there generate over $1.5 billion in annual export revenues. Israel's main hazardous waste disposal facility is also located in Ramat Hovav and processes organic, inorganic and solid waste through chemical-biological treatment, incineration and land-filling. 

Ramat Hovav is home to the following large companies: 

• Makhteshim Agan Industries which is Israel’s main producer of chemical fertilizers, insecticides and pesticides. 
• Tircovot Brom which produces bromine compounds intended for industry and agriculture, including fire retardants, fertilizers and chemical filters. 
• Teva (and to some extent Chimaghis) which produces raw material for the pharmaceutical industry. 

These are some of the smaller enterprises located in Ramat Hovav:

• Koffolk Fine Chemicals, the producer of advanced chemical intermediates for global pharmaceutical and manufacturing companies, as well as other specialty markets. 
• Cupoloc Darom which produces fodder for animals, raw material for medicine industry and vitamin additions for the food industry. 
• Maxima which performs the separation of gases for aviation and medical purposes. 
• Matil-Tech which recycles metals such as Tungsten and batteries that contain lithium and nickel-cadmium. 
• Aviv which recycles PET plastic bottles. 

Ramat Hovav also includes companies which supply gas to residents of the Negev. The Environmental Services Company (ESC) is a government company that handles toxic waste, by recycling, neutralization and burial.

The chemical industry in Southern Israel is also engaged in the production of minerals from the Dead Sea. These include potash, bromine, magnesia and metal magnesium. From the Dead Sea brine, Israel produces 1.77 million tons potash, 206,000 tons elemental bromine, 44,900 tons caustic soda, 25,000 tons magnesium metal, and sodium chloride.

The overall revenue from the Israeli chemical industry has been on the rise, with almost fifty percent of the total revenue from this industry coming from exports. Israeli chemical companies are known to use advanced production technologies and to produce high quality products. The growth can be attributed to a substantial increase in skilled manpower as well as governmental support for research and development through investment, grants and tax benefits.