Fruits, vegetables climb up ladder of Jordan’s export list

AMMAN – Jordan's exports of fruits and vegetables are picking up despite instability in neighbouring Iraq and Syria which once were key importers of the Kingdom's agriculture produce. 

According to official foreign trade figures released Sunday by the Department of Statistics (DoS), the value of fruit and vegetable exports during the first three quarters of this year went up by over 20 per cent to JD410 million from JD340 million during the same period of last year. 

In September alone, agriculture produce exports surged by 85.5 per cent to JD61.6 million from JD33 million when compared with the same month of last year, the DoS report pointed out. 

Jordan is currently a major supplier of fruits and vegetables to the Gulf Arab market, particularly Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Syria and Iraq used to import nearly two thirds of production but exports to these markets dropped tangibly due to several years of turmoil there. 

The DoS report also showed that the Kingdom's energy bill increased by 13.9 per cent in the January-September period of this year as the value of imports of crude oil and its derivatives went up to JD3.3 billion compared to JD2.9 billion during the same period last year. 

The DoS report also showed that the Kingdom’s trade deficit, the value imports exceeding those of exports,  increased by 1.9 per cent during the January-September period of this year to JD7.6 billion at current prices compared with JD7.5 billion recorded during the same period of 2013.
The DoS noted that the coverage ratio of total exports to imports has increased to 36.9 per cent from 35.8 per cent.

The Kingdom’s exports during the first nine months of the year went up by 8.6 per cent to JD3.88 billion from JD3.57 billion during the same period of 2013, while imports increased by 3.7 per cent from JD11.6 billion to JD12.1 billion, according to the statistics.