Agriculture Ministry downplays claims of rotten potatoes in Irbid markets

AMMAN — Following claims and photos spread online purportedly showing rotten potatoes in vegetable markets in Irbid, the Ministry of Agriculture announced that it has run “comprehensive checks” on the quantity and quality of the vegetable in central markets in Amman and Irbid.

Ministry Spokesperson Lawrence Majali told The Jordan Times over the phone that the produce in the markets “fits the quality standards, varying from excellent to good to moderate condition. The rate of damage was normal and not found in more than 8 per cent of potatoes.”

He added: “One must keep in mind that the natural rate of damage to any crop ranges from 10 to 15 per cent.”

Minister of Agriculture and Minister of Environment Ibrahim Shahahdeh ordered a follow-up committee and a survey headed by the secretary general of the ministry in cooperation with the Jordan Food and Drug Association to investigate the claims, according to a ministry statement.

Head of the ministry’s Irbid Directorate Abdulwali Tahaat in another statement criticised the “dramatisation” of the issue through the spread of the online photos and rumors, saying it was “the work of producers and importers who want to denigrate the local product at any cost so that they can be allowed to import the product once more”.

Jordan does not import potatoes, as part of a ministry programme that protects 22 commodities by prohibiting their import from any other country.

“We have more than 11,000 tonnes of refrigerated potatoes at the moment, and next season in mid-October we will have more than 40,000 tonnes, reaching full self-sufficiency and even exporting the excess,” Majali said. 

A ministry report showed that the damage was due to “poor storage by retailers”, and it urged citizens to call the ministry hotline to report any similar issues at the markets.