AMMAN — Secretary-general at the Jordan Valley
Farmers Union, Jamal Masalha, called on the government to reconsider the diesel
tariff as it is posing a major obstacle for farmers to re-cultivate their
lands, reported Jo24.
اضافة اعلان
The challenge, he said, is due to the high operational
costs and farmers’ inability to secure sufficient cash to cover plowing and the
cost of agricultural machines.
Masalha added that the agricultural sector needs
support for farmers to be able to maintain food security, stressing that the sector is
suffering from high operational costs due to fuel prices, which are the
backbone of the sector's work.
He said that the sector suffered huge losses during the
past year due to declining prices of foodstuff. The decline
forced farmers to
sell products at less than the actual costs, he added.
Prices fell due to the increase in supply and lack of
demand due to people holding low purchasing power.
Failure to open new markets for export also impacted the
prices. In light of this, Masalha called on the government to open up exports
to Syria as it is considered the largest importer from Jordan.
He also demanded that the government exempt farmers from the
loans granted to them in the wake of “the dragon storm” and to consider these
loans as a means to support the agricultural sector, especially since these
amounts do not exceed JD4 million.
Masalha also called on the government to exempt farmers
from interest on loans granted by the General Corporation for Agricultural
Credit and to reschedule
previous loans. He also asked that the government
grant farmers new loans so that they can continue to do their part in helping
the Kingdom’s food security goals.
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