Farmers destroy tomato crops to protest losses, again

AMMAN — Around 2,000 farmers in the southern Jordan Valley have begun destroying tomato crops in a show of anger over a season they claimed has been unprofitable, harmed by low prices in the local market and the difficulty of exporting to neighbouring countries.

Emad Zakariya, one of the farmers, said they started destroying tomato crops because of mounting losses.

"I have a 30-dunum farm and it costs me JD10,000, which I was forced to borrow. So far, I have not earned more than JD1,000, so tell me how I am going to pay back the money," he told The Jordan Times over the phone on Monday. 

Zakariya estimated that around 2,000 farmers took this step to protest their losses.  

"There are around 15 people working with me this season and I am afraid that I will be forced to fire some of them because I cannot afford their salaries," he added.

The step taken by this week the farmers in the southern Jordan Valley follows the destruction of dozens of tonnes of tomatoes also in the south on January 19.

Zuhair Jweihan, president of the Jordan Exporters and Producers Association for Fruit and Vegetables, said a box of tomatoes sells for JD0.32 to JD0.50, describing the situation farmers are dealing with as a "disaster". 

"It is also difficult for us to export goods because the main markets for us are Syria and Iraq and it is difficult to transport the goods there following the crisis," he said. 

Jweihan recalled that the Syrian and Iraqi markets used to consume 400,000 tonnes of tomatoes per year from Jordan in the past. 

Since conflict flared in the neighbouring countries and the borders were closed, more pressure has been placed on the agricultural sector. 

Jweihan said there is also difficulty in exporting tomatoes to the Arab Gulf markets due to the long wait time for visa procedures for the drivers. 

"We call on the concerned parties and other countries to support the agricultural sector because it is suffering from instability in the region," he added. 

 Ministry of Agriculture Spokesperson Nimer Haddadin said most sectors were negatively affected by the closure of the borders, including agriculture. 

"The government is exerting its utmost efforts to help support the farmers and find alternative markets such as the Russian market. Also, on Sunday we exported 1,100 tonnes of tomatoes to the Gulf market and on Saturday we exported 700 tonnes," he told The Jordan Times over the phone. 

He urged the farmers to decrease the space on their farms designated for tomatoes and plant it with other crops. 

In a previous interview with The Jordan Times, Jordan Valley Farmers Union President Adnan Khaddam estimated farmers' losses this season at JD2 million, adding that the local production of tomatoes currently exceeds 1,000 tonnes daily, while daily local consumption is around 400 tonnes. 

Jordan is among the top 10 world countries in terms of producing and exporting tomatoes, which constitute around 65 per cent of the total exported agricultural produce, according to official figures.