Traders encouraged to export fruit and vegetables to Syria via sea

AMMAN — The Ministry of Agriculture on Saturday called on traders of fruits and vegetables to resume exporting agricultural produce to Syria via sea.

Salah Tarawneh, the ministry’s assistant secretary general for marketing and information, said that tomatoes and other vegetables were exported on Thursday to Syria via Aqaba Port.

"Exports of fruit and vegetables to Syria have resumed via seafreight. A total of 200 tonnes of tomatoes were exported on Thursday to Syria," Tarawneh told The Jordan Times.

The official called on exporters to "take advantage" of ferries that transport goods from Syria to Jordan.

"Several ferries bring Syrian commodities to the port of Aqaba and then leave empty. We urge exporters to take advantage of those ferries and to export their fruits and vegetables to Syria and Lebanon at a much lower cost," Tarawneh said.

He underscored that exporters of fruits and vegetables can make up for their losses following the closure of Jordan's border with Syria by shipping agricultural produce through the maritime line.

"Abundant production in fruits and vegetables is expected soon. Therefore, we call on exporters to take advantage of this opportunity, particularly as there is a strong chance that the prices of fruits and vegetables in the target market are high," Tarawneh said.

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

A total of 1,000 tonnes of fruits and vegetables, worth millions of Jordanian dinars, used to be exported every day to Syria and Lebanon, according to the Jordan Exporters and Producers Association for Fruits and Vegetables.