Gulf vegetable, fruit imports offset losses caused by regional instability

AMMAN – Gulf countries were Jordan's major fruits and vegetables export markets in 2013, according to a sector leader. 

President of the Jordan Exporters and Producers Association for Fruits and Vegetables (JEPA) Zuhair Jweihan said on Thursday that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia were the largest markets for vegetables and fruits produced in the Kingdom. 

A report on the Kingdom's foreign trade released by the Department of Statistics (DoS) on Wednesday showed that exports of fruits and vegetables during the first half of this year went up by nearly 40 per cent, despite trouble in the neighbouring countries of Iraq and Syria, which used to import over 50 per cent of the Kingdom's agricultural produce. 

The DoS report revealed that exports of fruits and vegetables rose from JD188 million in the January-June period of 2013 to JD261 million in the same period of this year. 

Exports to the Gulf markets, mainly the UAE and Saudi Arabia, went up sharply in the past two years and the uptrend is continuing, Jweihan told The Jordan Times over the phone to comment on DoS figures, adding that production of fruits and vegetables is also going up. 

He indicated that exports to Syria are still ongoing but at a slower pace than some three years ago, before the outbreak of the Syrian revolution in March of 2011. 

Syria used to import around 33 per cent of fruit and vegetable needs from Jordan, particularly during winter, he said, adding Iraq used to be the Kingdom's second largest market. 

Exports to Iraq have recently gone down sharply due to instability there, Jweihan noted, adding that exports to Europe were also hit by instability in Syria and Iraq. 

"Most of our exports used to cross to the European markets via Syria to Turkey," he added, indicating that some exporters ship their produce currently by air "although it costs much more than land cargo". 

Saudi Arabia imposed a ban on agricultural goods from Jordan for nearly two decades due to what government officials have described as “baseless claims” that the local produce contained pesticides. 

The Gulf country, which borders Jordan from the southeast and south, resumed its imports of fruits and vegetables from Jordan mid last year.