Important, yet neglected

The Jordan Valley, with its unique weather condition, could become a main pillar of the national economy, if there were a strategy and a well-defined plan of action to exploit it to the fullest.

As is it now, it seems that the agricultural and fruit production in the area is highly individualistic and haphazard, lacking an overall plan of action.

Farmers decide on their own what to grow and often fall into the trap of fluctuating markets in and outside the country.

The availability of water resources, including drilled wells, remains obscure. There is hardly any guidance from the concerned authorities and, worse, no guidance on what crops are best suited for the valley conditions.

No wonder farmers sometimes vent their anger and frustration by destroying some of their crops, as happened recently when tomato growers faced a dramatic drop in prices for their product that could hardly cover their costs.

The absence, due to instability or war, of markets in neighbouring countries, which farmers took for granted as a permanent feature of their marketing plans, is a cause of deep concern for them and the national economy.

Talking to some farmers in the valley suggests that there is hardly a governmental policy that would guide their plans and protect them from the whims of the ever-changing geopolitical conditions in the region.

On the top of all that, there is hardly any regular inspection regarding the insecticides or pesticides administered to the valley’s crops.

The liberal use of hormones is also a cause of worry to producers and consumers alike.

Why the government still has no overall strategy for the valley is indeed worrying, especially knowing its proper exploitation could benefit the national economy in a substantial way.

Farmers are, by and large, not sophisticated enough when it comes to marketing or health hazards associated with their produce.

Flies, a pest in the valley practically in all seasons, threaten the tourism industry all around the Dead Sea because, once again, there is no effective plan to combat them, either by spraying or by shifting to other kinds of fertilisers.

Farmers in the valley obviously need more supervision and, above all, a strategy that they should follow.

There was once a plan to build a local airport to facilitate the export of fruit and vegetables from the area.

It was thought at the time that such an airport may also promote tourism to the Baptism Site and the Dead Sea resort sites. It turned out that investment in an airport, albeit a small one, would not be cost effective.

Should the valley become more industrialised by the adoption of an effective and well thought out, comprehensive strategy, an airport might turn out to be economically feasible after all.

For the time being, the basic missing element for the most productive use of the valley is the absence of a coherent plan of action to which farmers can relate and whose guiding principles they could follow.