With an eye on Russia: Jordan looking for new export markets

Materials Zawaya / downside of the loss of its largest Jordanian agricultural markets – Syria and Iraq, is that the country is seeking to revive the agricultural sector, looking for new markets. “Today, great attention is paid to enter the Russian market of fruit and vegetables”, – said the Minister of Agriculture of Jordan Reed Havalde, adding that over the past week there have been several meetings with various institutions to discuss the marketing of local agricultural products.

“We are working on the development of measures to facilitate the export of fruits and vegetables to Russia to stop overstocking the Jordanian market Moreover, the Gulf countries have begun to purchase from us significant amounts of agricultural products: Only last Monday for export to been shipped 4,300 tonnes – is a promising figure.. and is a good indicator “- said Havalde at a meeting with journalists.

The government is in talks to secure entry to the Russian market for Jordanian agricultural products, from 2014 onwards. To solve this problem, a number have been a number of official visits to Russia, during which they discussed, including issues of carriage of goods and customs duties imposed by Russia.

Havalde told that he became a member of the Economic Committee of the Prime Minister of the country to interact with several government agencies to explore new markets, and help to eliminate barriers to exports and to attract the attention of investors and to the agricultural sector of Jordan.

The Minister also called for increasing the automation industry of agriculture, which, according to him, will reduce costs and provide a higher quality product.

According to the Ministry of export of agricultural products – fruit and vegetables, from Jordan in the first 4 months of this year decreased by 24% compared to the same period of 2015.

In the past, Syria and Iraq have consumed almost two-thirds of Jordanian vegetables.

Checkpoint-Karama Turaybil on the border between Jordan and Iraq – gate through which Jordanian products come on the Iraqi and European markets, does not work in the summer of 2015.

Havalde expressed the hope that this border crossing would reopen soon, but did not confirm recent reports that the opening of the border between the two countries is inevitable.

In addition, in 2015, Jordan closed the border crossing Jaber on the border with Syria for security reasons. Another border crossing in the Ramtha this war-torn country, closed for the past almost five years.

About 1,000 tons of fruit and vegetables worth several million Jordanian dinars daily exported to Syria and Lebanon, according to the Jordanian Association of exporters and producers of fruits and vegetables.

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