AMMAN — The
Jordan Valley Authority (JVA) said
irrigation water allocations to farmland in the Jordan Valley will be increased
to protect plants and trees in the wake of the heat wave battering the Kingdom
and much of the region.
اضافة اعلان
Agricultural experts argued that the decision bodes
well with farmers, especially since extreme weather conditions, like the
current one, destroy agricultural crops in the Jordan Valley, the country’s
food basket.
But they demanded
that higher water allocations be accorded to all regions, and that the quotas
and quantities of irrigation water to farmers be increased throughout the year
to prevent domestic drought.
The
Jordan Meteorological Department forecast that
the hot and dry heat wave will continue through early September, with
temperatures soaring to 38°C in the capital Amman, and 42°C in the Jordan
Valley on Saturday.
Mahmoud Al-Oran, head of the
Jordanian Farmers Union, said that he supports any decision that “is in the interest of the
farmers, but I wish to reassert that agriculture is not confined to the Jordan
Valley area only.”
He insisted that the decision must the eastern and
southern regions as well as others, especially since the crops currently
produced come from various regions across Jordan.
He called for reducing famers’ electricity bills,
especially in the summer. “What we currently hope for is that there will be
concerted efforts between all state institutions to develop the agricultural
sector and help the farmers.”
Asked if the quantities of irrigation water will
cover the farmers’ needs, he said: “It is difficult to determine whether the
rations are sufficient or not”.
“Therefore, the competent authorities should conduct
a qualitative study every year to ensure that the quotas completely cover the
needs,” he added in an interview with
Jordan News.
Ibrahim Al-Sharif, head of the Jordan Farmers
Association said the hiked quota was “a sound decision; especially with the
high temperatures, as severe heat waves in previous years destroyed
agricultural crops.”
He explained to
Jordan
News that the higher quantity of irrigation water will be sufficient, “due
to the fact that the agriculture in the Jordan Valley is not large, especially
since we rely more on winter crops there.”
Farmer Ali Al-Braizat said that agricultural crops
in the Al-Wala Dam and Al-Heidan Valley in central Jordan were destroyed because
of this year’s drought.
He said that repeated requests by farmers to the
Ministry of Water and Irrigation and the JVA to “address the crisis caused by
the drought and increase the amount of irrigation water, went unanswered.”
“Increasing the quantity of irrigation water to
farmers in the current period may help to some extent, but is insufficient to
treat the damage which already affected crops,” he told
Jordan News.
Braizat pointed to the importance of increasing the
quotas and quantities of irrigation water throughout the year. He said the hike
must include all regions to protect crops and sustain production.
Read more Features
Jordan News
.jpg)
.jpg)
