Recent rainfall revives hopes of higher agriculture yield

AMMAN — The recent rainfall covering most parts of the Kingdom raised hopes of high productivity in the agriculture sector, according to experts,

“Rainfall rates have revived hopes for a good agricultural season and dispelled farmers’ fears of the lack of irrigation water. The arrival of rainfall at such a time will bring tremendous benefits to field crops, especially open and tree crops such as citrus and palms,” General Director of the National Agricultural Research Centre Nizar Haddad said in a statement sent to The Jordan Times.

Minister of Water and Irrigation Motasem Saidan said in a statement on Saturday that the Kingdom’s dam storage went up to 141.370 million cubic metres (mcm), standing at 42.02 per cent of total capacity, compared with 49.37 per cent recorded during the same period last year. The volume of water channelled into the dams since the beginning of the wet season has reached 50.483mcm, the minister said. 

Head of the Jordan Valley Farmers Union Adnan Khaddam stressed that the recent snowfall in many parts of the country “did not inflict significant damage to crops as the continuous rainfall reduced the chances of frost formation”.

The rain enhanced the moisture reserve in the soil, and raised water levels in dams and pits, which would help the farmers immensely with irrigation, Khaddam told The Jordan Times.

The recent rainfall alleviates farmers’ financial burdens, Haddad said, noting that rainwater and low temperatures reduce the chance of crop infection, and thereby the need for spraying crops. 

Rain also helps in decreasing soil salinity and sustains the growth of rangelands, which saves significant costs on fodder for livestock farmers, Haddad noted.

Haddad pointed out that the research centres across the country are ready to provide services and research recommendations to crop and livestock farmers.