Ravaged by low prices, virus crisis, farmers pin hope on gov’t promises

AMMAN — The agricultural sector is witnessing “an unprecedented setback” since the beginning of the season as a result of the low selling prices, which has reduced the farmers’ ability to fulfill their financial obligations, according to stakeholders.

“The current season is perhaps the worst for the people of the valley, one of the poorest areas in the Kingdom. The collapse of the sector has coincided with the coronavirus pandemic, increasing the burden on people whose livelihood depends almost entirely on their farms,” said farmer Hamzeh Rawhani.

According to surveys carried out by the Ministry of Social Development’s directorates in the area, approximately 25 per cent of the valley’s population receives monthly aid from the National Aid Fund.

“We cannot live of our farm’s revenues alone, as we have been losing money, rather than making profit. Losses have been piling up due to the high operational costs paired with low selling prices over the past few seasons,” said Rawhani.

The head of the Jordan Valley Farmers Union Adnan Khaddam said he believes that “the majority of the valley’s inhabitants depend almost entirely on the agricultural sector, given that 70 per cent of the population are farmers”.

The number of registered members in the union exceeds 20,000 and “just as many farmers remain unregistered”, he said.

“This is a large number if we take into consideration the number of family members who depend on the farmer’s agricultural work,” added Khaddam.

The union president noted that working in the agricultural sector has “forced the people of the valley into poverty and unemployment, instead of being a solution to their problems”.

The prices of vegetables in the Jordan Valley have witnessed a major setback since last October due to the suspension of exports and the decline in citizens’ purchasing power, as put by President of the Jordan Farmers Union Mahmoud Oran.

“The decline in prices to a level below the costs of production has pushed farmers to uproot seedlings to prevent further losses,” Oran said.

Khaddam announced the suspension of the strike that farmers had started last Wednesday by halting supply to the central markets.

“After the government responded to a number of demands related to foreign workers, reduced fees and showed an understanding of the problems that afflicts the sector, we have renewed our hopes,” he said.