Ammon News - AMMAN (Petra) – Secretary General of Agriculture Ministry Radi Tarawneh said on Thursday that export of fruit and vegetables to Syria through land border crossings has been completely stopped in view of the escalating situation there, thus making it all the more crucial for Jordanian farmers to find new markets for their produce.

He told the Jordan News Agency Petra that halting agricultural exports to Syria will lead to an increase in the farm produce exports to the Arab Gulf states, and noted that export of agricultural products to Iraq continues through the Al-Karamah border crossing.

Tarawneh pointed out that the ministry, in cooperation with the Jordan Farmers Union and other organizations, will take all required steps to ensure that farmers’ produce is exported abroad as it was crucial for bringing in the hard currency that feeds the national economy.

Zuhair Jweihan, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Jordan Exporters and Producers Association for Fruit and Vegetables (JEPA), announced in press statements last week that the agricultural sector has been suffering a marketing crisis and has lost about JD 80 million due to the Syrian crisis.

According to the JEPA, Jordan exports around 800,000 tonnes of fruit and vegetables per annum, including about 180,000 tonnes to Syria, more than 200,000 tonnes to Iraq, and around 300,000 tonnes to the United Arab Emirates while only 40,000 tonnes are exported to the European markets, especially to Eastern Europe and Russia.