AMMAN — Earlier
this month, a wildfire engulfed 2,000 dunums of wheat fields and
citrus orchards in the Jordan Valley, causing massive damage. Now, farmers are
demanding that the ministry compensate them for their losses.
اضافة اعلان
The
Minister of Agriculture Khalid Hunifat told
Jordan News at the time that the
fires were 10 times greater than previous incidents. He also laid blame on the
Israelis.
According
to initial reports issued by the area’s directorate of agriculture, the minister
said that 32 farmers were affected by the fires, in addition to the loss of irrigation
systems, tanks, and pumps.
Mahmoud Abu Hulaihel, a farmer
who owns around 185 dunums, said that “more than half of my farm and irrigation
systems were burned and damaged. The farm has become black.”
Wheat fields make up around 30
dunums of his farm, while the remaining area is planted with high quality
citrus trees, according to Abu Hulaihel, who added that the land is his only
source of income.
The man described the fires as
“a massive abyss”.
Hulaihel strongly demanded that
the
Ministry of Agriculture and the Jordan Valley authority support farmers and
enable them to regrow in the threatened area.
The minister of agriculture
told
Jordan News that the ministry is working hard to support the farmers, and
the first step will be to make sure they are compensated for their damages.
The minister added that the
ministry will reach out to Israelis on the matter, adding that there is direct
coordination with the farmers and the Jordan Valley Authority.
Head of the Arab Group for
the Protection of Nature, Razan Zaiter, told Jordan News that the fire caused
great damage to plants and spacious areas, describing the fire as systematic
action by Israel.
Yahiya Al-Ghazawi, a farmer
who inherited citrus trees from his family, said that his farm is located around
80 dunums from the border of the West Bank and occupied
Palestine, adding that the wildfires occur almost every two years, leading to damages every time.
Ghazawi added that the
recent fires took around 12 hours to abate. “There was not a street leading to
the grove area, thus the authorities used firefighting aircraft to put it out”
said Ghazawi.
“What broke my heart for
real was a 40-year-old tree that was swallowed by the flames. … We demand
compensation; since, in the Jordan valley or the so-called ‘Food Basket,’” we practice
agriculture for a living” said Ghazawi, adding he believes that the fires were
intentional.
Zaiter
explained that the recursive fire occurs each year at the same time, when the
wind is good for the fire to spread to Jordan.
The
association has conducted an intensive campaign by providing 1,000 trees and
irrigation pipes to farmers, calling the ministry, the private sector, and
society to find a solution to the farmers’ problem, according to Zaiter.
She
also noted that if the situation is left to worsen, more wildfires are going to
rage in the Jordan Valley, causing more suffering for farmers.
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