‘3,200 tonnes of fruits exported to Iraq since border reopening’

AMMAN — Jordan has exported more than 3,200 tonnes of fruits to Iraq since the border between the two countries reopened last month, a government official said on Tuesday.

Fruits, mainly peaches, are currently the main agricultural produce exported to Iraq, and the country is scheduled to receive winter produce as soon as the cold weather starts, according to the Ministry of Agriculture.

“A total of 113 refrigerated trucks carried 3,200 tonnes of fruits to the Iraqi market over the past week, as exporting to Iraq officially restarted,” Ministry of Agriculture Spokesperson Nimer Haddadin told The Jordan Times.

Jordan and Iraq reopened the Karameh-Turaibil border crossing earlier this month after it was closed since the summer of 2015 for security reasons.

Before the border closure, a total of 100 refrigerated trucks carrying 2,000 tonnes of fruits and vegetables were travelling daily to the neighbouring country, according to agriculture sector representatives. They also stated that the border closure resulted in a drop of fruit and vegetable exports by 70 per cent.

Iraq mainly imports tomato, eggplant, cucumber, potato and citrus fruits from Jordan, among other crops, according to the Jordan Valley Farmers Union.

Haddadin said he expected the amount of exports to increase soon.”The fact that 113 refrigerated trucks transported agricultural exports to the Iraqi border during the past week or so is actually a very good indicator that the volume of agricultural exports will return to its previous levels gradually,” Haddadin highlighted.

Sector representatives said in earlier remarks that the reopening of the Karameh-Turaibil border crossing came at the “right time” as farmers are preparing their land for winter crops, which are Iraq’s main agricultural imports from the Kingdom.