AMMAN — At this
time of the year, farmers usually prepare to sow their winter crops, but many
decided against it this time, claiming that it is not a feasible endeavor.
اضافة اعلان
Saad Al-Naimat, a
Jordan Valley farmer, told
Jordan News he did not take any steps to
prepare for the coming winter season. Several factors “compel him not to
plant”, he said, including the desire “to avoid large financial costs” that he
“will not be able to recover from selling the crops”.
Naimat said: “There
is no reason for me to work. All factors are against me as a farmer. There is a
severe shortage of water and there is no manpower.”
“Setting price
caps throughout the year increases the financial burden on us, farmers. The
losses of the past years have accumulated, so we are drained, and have nothing
left, so stopping the loss is profitable,” he added.
Nawash Al-Yazji,
another Jordan Valley farmer and a member of the Jordan Valley Farmers Union,
told
Jordan News that the
Ministry of Labor has put restrictions on the
number of agricultural workers farmers could employ, “and there are no
alternatives. Jordanians working in the agricultural sector are few, labor is
more expensive, and we are committed to employing 70 percent of Jordanians.”
“The very high prices
of agricultural fertilizers, seeds, and more make us unable to compete
externally. Egypt, for example, has free water and low-cost labor,” he added.
Regarding the
reluctance to prepare for the upcoming winter season, Yazji said: “Our water
dilemma, the high costs of production and the lack of labor force constitute a
great challenge. Farmers will wait for the beginning of the season; if water is
available, they will plant, otherwise they will not be able to.”
Head of the
Jordan Valley Farmers Union
Adnan Khaddam told
Jordan News that “the
situation of farmers over the years and the accumulation of losses, high
production costs, especially fertilizers and pesticides, fear of water
shortage, and internal and external marketing of agricultural produce” are
reasons for many farmers’ reluctance to prepare for the season.
“We need to
overcome this problem, to find a quick solution and help market our produce
abroad, support farms and provide the water needed to irrigate the crops,” he
said, adding that the “government rationed water at 50 percent”.
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