Jerash — Amid high operating costs and a lack of a regulatory environment, livestock breeders and traders in Jerash Governorate find themselves racing against time to end a crisis that has persisted for years: the absence of an official livestock market.
اضافة اعلان
As peak demand seasons approach, namely the holy month of Ramadan and Eid al-Adha, demands are escalating from breeders, traders, and citizens for a permanent site to be designated for a halal market. They note that the absence of a market puts them before recurring challenges: they are forced to search for scattered locations to display their livestock, or head to markets in other governorates, which increases transport costs, time, and effort, as well as making it difficult for buyers to reach them, along with the decline in marketing opportunities and the difficulty of organizing sales within the governorate.
Doubled costs and random sales points
Concerned parties see the absence of the market as having become a direct economic obstacle for hundreds of families and breeders in the governorate, as they're forced to travel long distances to reach markets in neighboring governorates, or rely on unprepared, random gatherings, in addition to a reduced ability to reach a broad segment of buyers.
They note that the continued absence of the market entrenches a state of disorder, adding burdens on both traders and citizens alike.
Livestock breeders in Jerash Governorate are calling for speeding up the official procedures needed to allocate a suitable site for a halal market, dedicated to buying and selling sheep and livestock, given the growing number of people working in this sector in the governorate, and their ongoing suffering from the lack of an official market to organize sales and provide basic services to breeders, traders, and citizens.
A number of livestock breeders see the importance of establishing the market growing as the seasons approach that typically witness higher demand for sheep and livestock, foremost among them the holy month of Ramadan and Eid al-Adha, alongside various social occasions that see sales activity pick up.
This calls for providing a suitable site before those seasons arrive, enabling breeders to display and market their livestock directly, and giving citizens the chance to choose and buy in an organized environment.
Livestock breeder Azmi Al-Ayasrah says that having a specialized halal market has become a basic need for breeders in Jerash, given the large numbers of sheep and livestock raised by the governorate's residents, noting that an organized market would provide a known place for breeders, traders, and citizens, and facilitate displaying, inspecting, and buying livestock, rather than continuing to search for suitable locations every season.
He points out that the market's importance is not limited to the Eid al-Adha period, but extends throughout the year, especially given the many occasions when demand for sheep rises.
He stresses the need for the relevant authorities to take breeders' needs into account when selecting the site, and for it to be capable of accommodating the expected numbers of livestock and dealers, while providing the basic facilities and services that ensure the market's continued operation.
Breeder Mahmoud Freihat shares this view, explaining that providing a halal market would help revitalize commercial activity linked to livestock in Jerash, and reduce the scattering of buying and selling operations, as well as enabling breeders to market their livestock better and reach a wider segment of buyers, especially during seasons when sheep purchases spike.
Freihat notes that breeders are waiting for a practical solution to this file, at a time when raising livestock requires ongoing expenses and monitoring, making an organized marketing outlet an important part of supporting the sustainability of their businesses and helping them continue in this activity, stressing the importance of quickly approving a site that serves all areas of the governorate.
Livestock breeder Mohammad Qawqazeh stresses that having a dedicated market would serve breeders and provide a clear gathering point for buyers and traders, rather than relying on unprepared sites or searching for temporary places to display livestock.
He affirms the importance of quickly settling on the site and completing the necessary approvals, so the problem doesn't recur with every season that sees demand for sheep rise.
He adds that the market would be an important outlet for marketing livestock within the governorate, and would ease the burdens on breeders, especially since Jerash includes a large number of people working in sheep and livestock raising, which requires providing an organizational framework to help them practice their activity better.
He points out that the absence of an organized market affects not only traders, but also citizens wishing to buy sacrificial animals or livestock, as they're forced to move between scattered and unprepared sites that sometimes lack even the most basic services and infrastructure.
An economic weight seeking infrastructure
The importance of these demands stands out in light of the size of the livestock sector in the governorate. Data from the Jerash Agriculture Directorate indicates a large number of livestock breeders, with the sheep population exceeding 65,000 head, alongside around 1,200 head of cattle.
These numbers reflect the breadth of activity tied to livestock raising, and the need of those working in it for a marketing and organizational infrastructure to help them develop their businesses.
Several residents believe a livestock market would give buyers the opportunity to directly compare prices, weights, and types in one place, while enabling the relevant authorities to tighten health and veterinary oversight of livestock on display, helping protect public health and ensure food safety.
Residents also note that an organized location would curb the random spread of livestock sales pens along roadsides and within residential neighborhoods, along with the environmental effects that follow.
They point out that most of the sites where breeders keep their pens are not suitable, and may pose a risk to public and traffic safety, given the traffic congestion they cause on the governorate's main roads, which calls for a lasting, balanced solution that takes everyone's needs into account.
The halal market issue in Jerash dates back years. The governorate once had a livestock buying and selling market considered one of the oldest in the Kingdom, before it was closed, leaving a gap in the organization of this activity, and prompting traders and breeders to repeatedly demand a dedicated market to serve the governorate and spare them the hardship of traveling to other areas.
The file saw successive developments this year, as demands from traders and breeders escalated for the market to be re-established, before a number of them resorted to using a temporary site near the Thughrat Asfour area, in an attempt to provide a place to display and sell livestock. However, the relevant authorities closed the site last April, after inspecting it and confirming it lacked official approvals, technical and environmental requirements, and public and traffic safety standards.
For his part, Greater Jerash Municipality Committee chairman Mohammad Bani Yaseen revealed that the municipality continuously follows the halal market file, and recently wrote to the Ministry of Local Administration and the Ministry of Agriculture, identifying three proposed sites suitable for establishing the market in Jerash Governorate, in preparation for studying them and selecting the most appropriate according to technical, organizational, and environmental requirements.
Bani Yaseen explained that the official letters and correspondence regarding the proposed sites are still with the relevant ministries to complete the approval procedures, noting that the Ministry of Agriculture will form a specialized committee to study the sites on the ground and verify their suitability for establishing a livestock market and the availability of the necessary requirements.
He pointed out that the municipality has not yet received final approvals for the sites that were identified.
Bani Yaseen expressed his hope that the procedures would be completed and a solution reached for this file before the end of the current year, through approving a suitable site that meets the needs of livestock breeders and traders, and provides an organized environment for buying and selling operations.
He affirmed that the municipality is closely following the latest procedures and developments with the relevant ministries and bodies, aiming to speed up the completion of transactions and reach a final decision on the site.
Livestock breeders hope the coming phase will see tangible progress on this file, and that official correspondence will turn into practical decisions that define the site and set a clear timeline for completing the procedures. They affirm that a halal market is no longer a seasonal demand tied to holidays and occasions, but has become an ongoing economic and organizational need for a broad sector of the governorate's residents, and that settling this file would support breeders, revitalize livestock trade, and provide an organized service to citizens.
Reporting by Sabreen Al-Ta'ameemat
