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AMMAN — Exports of agricultural produce dropped by 7.5 per cent during the first eight months of this year compared to the same period in 2014, government officials said on Saturday.

The Kingdom exported 580,000 tonnes of fruits and vegetables until early September, compared with 626,000 tonnes in the same period last year, Agriculture Minister Akef Zu’bi said in a statement e-mailed to The Jordan Times.

Ministry Spokesperson Nimer Haddadin said the gap between this year’s and last year’s exports has been diminishing over the past four months as the Kingdom’s exports to the Gulf countries, particularly summer fruits, increased.

“In April, exports dropped by 27 per cent compared to the same month in 2014. The fact that the drop now stands at 7.5 per cent is a good sign that our exports of fruits and vegetables are recovering,” Haddadin told The Jordan Times over the phone.

Ministry figures indicate that exports of produce increased by 3.5 per cent during August compared to the same month last year.

Jordan exported 88,000 tonnes of agricultural produce during August, while during the same month last year, the country exported 84,7000 tonnes of fruits and vegetables, according to the ministry’s statement.

Haddadin noted that the majority of fruits and vegetables were exported to Gulf countries, which imported over 86,100 tonnes.

In light of the ongoing unrest in Syria, Jordan became one of the main suppliers of fruits and vegetables to Gulf Arab states, which now import 70-80 per cent of their produce needs from Jordan, according to the ministry.

The fact that Jordan’s border with Syria has been closed since April, in addition to the closure of the border with Iraq during most of the first four months of 2015, caused a drop in agricultural exports, according to the ministry.

Jordan closed the Jaber border crossing with Syria in April for security reasons. Ramtha, the other border crossing with Syria, has been closed for nearly four years, except for humanitarian assistance to the war-torn country.

Haddadin said that despite the border closure with Syria, exports of fruits and vegetables are expected to be equal to the amount exported last year, which reached 888,000 tonnes.

AMMAN — Her Majesty Queen Rania has participated in launching the World’s Largest Lesson, an initiative to teach children in more than 100 countries about the new Sustainable Development Goals that will be adopted by the UN General Assembly later this month, the UN News Centre said Friday.

UNICEF and the Global Goals campaign launched the initiative on Friday and attracted support from influential leaders and public figures including Lebanese singer Nancy Ajram, tennis star Serena Williams and Brazilian footballer Neymar.

The UN estimates that a potential 500 million girls and boys between the ages of 8 and 14 will have the chance to learn about the Global Goals. These range from ending extreme poverty, to tackling climate change, and giving all children the opportunity to gain a quality education, added the centre. 

AMMAN — A 77-year-old man infected with the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus died on Saturday, registering the third death of the virus this year, according to the Health Ministry.

Mohammad Abdullat, director of the ministry’s communicable disease control department, said the deceased, who also suffered from lung cancer, had been diagnosed with the virus earlier and admitted to a private hospital. A total of seven cases were registered this year including this recent case, three of whom have died, he added.

THEEBAN — A 26-year-old man drowned in a pond in Wadi Heidan on Friday, according to the Civil Defence Department (CDD).

Madaba CDD cadres administered first aid to the man and took him to Princess Salma Hospital where he was pronounced dead. 

AMMAN — The government, as part of its development programme, will establish new industrial estates in Tafileh, Madaba, Balqa and Jerash, the Jordan Industrial Estates Company (JIEC) said Saturday.

The company, in coordination with the Public Works Ministry, said it will soon start implementing projects of the four cities, expected to cost $30 million, funded by the Saudi Development Fund (SDF). The fund is part of the Gulf Cooperation Council grant.

JIEC Chairman Ali Madadha said the industrial cities focus mainly on enhancing investment in governorates, noting that they will be implemented over two phases, from 2015 to 2017 and from 2018 to 2020. 

MAFRAQ — The cost of the Jordan Response Plan to deal with the repercussions of the Syrian refugee crisis stands at $2.4 billion, and the international community has only provided $600 million, Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Mohammad Thneibat said Saturday.

Inaugurating two Kuwaiti schools for Syrian refugees at the Zaatari Refugee Camp, in cooperation with the Education Ministry, UNICEF and the EU, Thneibat added that the cost of Syrian refugees on the education sector stands at $650 million, with donors covering less than 10 per cent. He also referred to the high numbers of students in classrooms and building new schools at a cost of $300 million.

AMMAN — Jordan participated in the 96th session of the Arab Economic and Social Council, according to a Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply statement released Saturday.

Speaking at the recent session, Trade Minister Maha Ali said the 95th session focused on the efforts to implement the outcomes of the previous session.

She noted that although Arab trade is growing, figures indicate there are still obstacles in the face of inter-Arab trade growth, which requires intensifying efforts to remove them.

On the sidelines of the session, Ali met her Egyptian counterpart Najla Al Ahwani and discussed bilateral economic cooperation.

AMMAN — The Education Ministry said Saturday it has appointed 3,100 new teachers before the beginning of the 2015-2016 academic year, and will appoint an additional 1,000 teachers later.

At a meeting for the ministry’s planning committee, secretaries general of educational and administrative affairs Mohammad Okour and Sami Salaitah said merging schools is important for its role in improving the quality of learning and education.

The construction of 20 new schools has been completed at a cost of JD21.2 million, while new classrooms have been prepared at 81 schools at a total cost of JD20.2 million.

Moreover, kindergartens have been established for six schools at a cost of JD0.5 million.

The ministry has also floated JD4 million in tenders to build three new schools, build additional classrooms at 15 schools and kindergartens for two schools.

AMMAN — A coalition of centrist parties said on Saturday that the draft elections law is a step forward from the one-person, one-vote system.

At a meeting chaired by Nathir Arabiat, the coalition said the draft law is a good step towards democracy that can be developed in the future, “although it did not meet all ambitions”.

Arabiat said that adopting the open proportional list is important because it entails decreasing the use of political money and because there will be an opportunity to build alliances between small and big parties to run for elections.

Also on Saturday, Islah (reform) Party discussed the draft law and said it would pave the way towards democratic parliamentary life that will positively reflect on the country’s future.

AMMAN — A man died and 11 were injured on Friday in three separate accidents in Tafileh, Irbid, and Zarqa, according to the Civil Defence Department (CDD).

In Tafileh, a tractor overturned, killing a man and injuring four who were taken to Prince Zeid Military Hospital. In Irbid, seven were injured in a two-vehicle collision and were taken to Princess Basma Hospital. All injured were listed in fair condition.