Agricultural exports drop in first third of 2016

AMMAN — Exports of the Kingdom’s agricultural produce dropped by 24 per cent during the first third of this year compared to the same period of last year, a government official said on Sunday.

Jordan exported 162,000 tonnes of fruit and vegetables during the first four months of this year, while the figure stood at 214,000 tonnes in the same period of last year, Ministry of Agriculture Spokesperson Nimer Haddadin said.

Despite the drop in exports compared to the same period last year, Haddadin underscored that the exports are gradually recovering, noting that the drop in the first four months of 2015 was 27 per cent compared to the same period of 2014.

“The ongoing closure of the Kingdom’s border with Iraq and Syria is the reason behind the drop, but the fact that the government is seeking new marketing portals is slightly easing the situation,” the official underscored.

Haddadin noted that vegetables constituted the majority of exports, underscoring that more than 60 per cent of the exported vegetables were tomatoes.

The Kingdom is among the top 10 world countries in terms of producing and exporting tomatoes, which constitute around 65 per cent of total exported agricultural produce, according to official figures.

“The Gulf market remains Jordan’s main importer of local produce, followed by Iraq, Lebanon and a number of European countries,” Haddadin told The Jordan Times.

Jordan closed the Jaber border crossing with Syria in April 2015 for security reasons, while Ramtha, the other border crossing with the war-torn country, has been closed for nearly five years.

A total of 1,000 tonnes of fruit and vegetables, worth millions of Jordanian dinars, used to be exported every day to Syria and Lebanon, according to the Jordan Exporters and Producers Association for Fruits and Vegetables.