Kingdom resumes exportation to UAE as ban ended

AMMAN — Jordan on Wednesday resumed exporting all types of fruits and vegetables to the United Arab Emirates after the latter ended a 70-day ban on some of the Kingdom's produce, according to a government official.

Agriculture sector representatives welcomed the decision, underlining that it will help ease the deteriorating state of the sector, ministry spokesperson Nimer Haddadin told The Jordan Times. 

The UAE lifted its ban on some of the country's fruits and vegetables after its officials and technical teams visited the country several times over the past month upon the request of the ministry to check firsthand on the Kingdom's measures in ensuring  safe agricultural production, Haddadin said.

The Gulf state enforced in mid - May a decision to ban the import of seven of Jordan’s main vegetable exports due to claims of increasing levels of chemical pesticide residues found in Jordanian agricultural products. The banned vegetables included  zucchini, sweet pepper, eggplant, cabbage, green beans, cauliflower and lettuce.

The UAE’s decision also stipulated that imports of any fruit and vegetables, besides the aforementioned, be coupled with certificates from the Jordanian Ministry of Agriculture indicating that the produce was free from pesticide remnants.

Haddadin noted that Emirati senior officials visited the country to check the measures it implements in order to ensure that agricultural produce, whether destined for exporting or local consumption, is free from the residues of chemical pesticides.

“Some 500 tonnes of fruits and vegetables were exported today to the UAE. Also, up to 200 refrigerated trucks laden with some 3,000 tonnes of fruits and vegetables left today to the Gulf countries,” Haddadin told The Jordan Times.

The official said that lifting the ban is “good news” which the ministry welcomes, noting that it will positively affect farmers and exporters.

Meanwhile, President of the Jordan Exporters and Producers Association for Fruits and Vegetables, Abudllah Zaben, said that revoking the decision restored the “established reputation” of Jordan’s fruits and vegetables.

“Lifting the ban is a positive decision as it restores confidence in the Jordanian agricultural produce in the international and Arab Gulf markets,” Zaben told The Jordan Times.

He urged farmers to sustain following “sound agricultural practices” to ensure that the country’s fruits and vegetables are always of high quality.

The UAE is one of Jordan’s major importers of fruits and vegetables, with over 150,000 tonnes of produce exported annually, according to official figures.