Officials upbeat as agricultural exports this year reach 35,000 tonnes

AMMAN — Jordan exports 2,100 tonnes of agricultural produce daily, half of which are tomatoes, government officials said on Tuesday.

In a statement e-mailed to The Jordan Times, Agriculture Minister Akef Zu’bi said the movement of agricultural exports from Jordan has increased after the weather stabilised, noting that the production of agricultural produce increased, especially tomatoes in the Southern Ghor.

“Since the beginning of this year, the Kingdom exported 35,000 tonnes of fruits and vegetables, which is a very good indicator of our exports,” Zu’bi added.

Tomatoes made up 56 per cent of the produce exported this year, according to Agriculture Ministry Spokesperson Nimer Haddadin, who noted that the Syrian market was the major importer of local agricultural produce.

“Forty-seven per cent of the fruits and vegetables exported since the start of the year were imported by Syria. The Gulf countries ranked second, importing 33 per cent of our produce, followed by a number of European countries that imported 13 per cent, while Iraq imported 7 per cent,” Haddadin told The Jordan Times over the phone.

He said the produce exports were projected to increase in 2015.

“Our exports are expected to reach one million tonnes this year,” Haddadin noted.

Jordan’s fruit and vegetable exports increased by 12 per cent last year compared to 2013, according to official figures, as the country exported 888,000 tonnes of agricultural produce in 2014, compared to 790,000 tonnes in 2013.

A total of 85 per cent of the agricultural exports were vegetables, 50 per cent of which were tomatoes, according to the ministry, which noted that 613,000 heads of cattle were exported last year.

Agricultural exports in 2014 generated JD550 million, while cattle exports generated more than JD350 million.