AMMAN — Director-General of the
Jordanian Farmers Union Mahmoud Al-Oran said that the
sector is passing through difficult circumstances, particularly because of the
impact frost had on most crops.
اضافة اعلان
Oran said the current season is one of the harshest
for the sector, both for agriculturalists and animal breeders, and that frost
repeatedly affected different parts of the Kingdom, including the northern and
central Jordan Valley.
He pointed out that “spring frost” is considered one
of the most dangerous types of frost, and as a result of it, quantities of
vegetables delivered to the central market may decrease, and there will be
“scarcity”.
“The tomato crops at this time of past years reached
up to about 1,000 tonnes, and now only about 300 tonnes are yielded; it is also
the case with eggplant and other types of vegetables,” Oran said.
He urged citizens not to binge buy vegetables,
especially during the holy month of Ramadan, as all kinds of vegetables are
still available.
Farmer
Mahmoud Al-Enezi told
Jordan News that
farmers are passing through difficult conditions, and warned that the prices
will continue to go up if the situation remains as it is.
Enezi added that the farmers’ inability to produce
more is one of the most prominent reasons for the rise in prices of vegetables.
“The
Ministry of Agriculture should support the
sector financially, to help us, farmers, to stand on our feet again,” he said,
adding that frost is not the only reason vegetable prices could go up.
“Farmers are going through hard times, at all
levels, and another rise in the prices of vegetables and fruits could be
expected if the situation remains as it is, especially in light of the
shrinking of our agricultural lands and the global increase in prices of
agricultural inputs,” he added.
People have complained about the prices of many
types of vegetables, such as cucumbers and tomatoes, in the past few days; many
said that prices of vegetables that are more often used should not rise,
especially since a significant number of citizens who cannot afford to buy meat
live on vegetables.
Youssef Abdin, a citizen, told
Jordan News that prices vary from one place to another, “but I noticed an increase in the
prices of some types of vegetables these days. I believe that the government
should tighten its control over the pricing of many items, which is now
monopolized by some traders who play with the prices”.
Abdin stressed that “citizens’ consumption of
vegetables increases in the holy month of Ramadan, and prices should be dropped
in light of the hard economic conditions we are facing”.
He stressed that the frost that affected so many
crops will affect the quantity and quality of production, stressing that “the
ministry should inspect the damages and compensate the affected farmers to
enable them to continue their production”.
Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Supply Spokesman
Yanal Barmawi told
Jordan News that the higher prices of some
vegetables, witnessed recently, are due to fewer supplies “because of the frost
that affected the crops and reduced the quantity of produce”.
He, however, said
prices are expected to go down again in the upcoming days.
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