26/11/2021 | Jordan

Jordanian vegetable exports have fallen by more than 50% in value over the past 5 years, study finds.

 

According to ITC (International Trade Center) which processed data from the Department of Statistics, Jordan in 2016 exported vegetables worth over USD 400,000,000 but in 2020 vegetable exports did not exceed 200,000. 000 USD. Or a decrease of 50% in value. Jordan exported vegetables to 34 countries in 2020, its main export markets are Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Oman.

 

Several factors can explain this sharp drop: the consequences of the Syrian conflict, the negative effects of the health crisis as well as the soaring production costs (water, energy) and labor costs which currently represent 25% of the overall production cost.

 

Jordanian professionals believe that they have lost important markets in Europe and the Gulf countries and that one of the solutions would be to seek government assistance for the air transport of products to these markets.

 

According to JEPA (Jordan Exporters and Produce Association) the main fruits and vegetables produced by the country are tomatoes (717,865 tonnes) which are the 1st export product, cucumbers (208,226 tonnes) potatoes (153,199 tonnes ), citrus fruits (116,128 tonnes), watermelons (93,589 tonnes), peaches (65,816 tonnes). The area planted in 2020 was around 2.38 million acres (963,151.82 hectares) or just 2.7% of the country's total area.

 

source : menafn.com, jepa.org.jo