Keeping it safe for good

It is certainly good news that the United Arab Emirates ended their 70-day-long ban and resumed imports of certain vegetables from Jordan after having established that the produce no longer contains the complained-about pesticide residues.

The Ministry of Agriculture and the UAE officials recently have indeed confirmed this positive development, good news not only to Jordanian farmers but to all citizens of the country, as it signals absence of contamination of fruit and vegetables with dangerous substances.

Of course, the UAE did not lift the ban until it dispatched teams of inspectors to thoroughly test the produce. Once they arrived at the conclusion that the seven banned vegetables were safe, export resumed. 

On the UAE part, it will be a continuous process of monitoring the imported produce, accompanied by a Jordan’s Ministry of Agriculture certificate that the exported vegetables and fruit are free of dangerous chemicals.

But why should the situation have reached this stage?

Why should it take a foreign country for our farmers to realise that their practices are costly, literally and to the health of the population?

The president of the Jordan Exporters and Producers Association for Fruits and Vegetables may well have welcomed the lifting of the ban, which “restores confidence in the Jordanian agricultural produce in the international and Arab Gulf markets”, but words alone do not build a reputation.

Only sustained use of good practices, avoidance of shortcuts — granted, more time consuming and pricey, but at the end of the day beneficial to all — and scrupulous behaviour on the part of the farmers can ensure that the “established reputation” of the country’s agricultural produce is maintained.

Jordanians should not have to depend on outsiders to verify the validity of their foodstuff. Local authorities should work assiduously to guarantee that the quality of the goods they consume is up to standards and, most importantly, not harmful to their health.

For now, the lifting of the ban is a good enough guarantee that the produce we eat is healthy.

For the future, local authorities might consider placing their seal of trust on the goods we buy, a visible, distinguished stamp that puts fears to rest.