Jordan announced a gradual restriction on tomato exports and an increase in the quantities arriving in the markets, leading to a complete halt to exports, if the quantities of tomatoes arriving in the markets continue to decline and their prices rise, according to a decision by the Minister of Agriculture, Khaled Al-Hunaifat.
According to the Jordan News Agency (Petra), the decision comes within the framework of providing tomatoes in quantities suitable for local consumption, and based on the Ministry of Agriculture’s follow-up of the decrease in quantities arriving in the markets and the increase in the price of tomatoes in the markets.
Minister of Agriculture decides to restrict tomato exports https://t.co/9xvB2TyOkH#Petra #Jordan
— Jordan News Agency (@Petranews) August 5, 2024
It is noteworthy that the decrease in the quantities of tomatoes imported to the central markets led to an increase in their prices, due to the transition between production periods and the rise in temperatures.
The ministry expects to reach regular quantities that meet or exceed the needs of the local market by mid-August, and it also expects prices to decrease before that.
Data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) indicate that Jordan’s tomato production amounted to 715,722 tons in 2022, the latest available data.
Jordanian agricultural exports
It is noteworthy that the value of Jordanian agricultural exports increased by 25.3% from the beginning of this year until last May, compared to the same period last year, to half a billion dinars, according to statements by the Jordanian Minister of Agriculture that were reported by Petra at the end of last month.
According to these statements, the value of vegetable exports alone increased by 19% from the beginning of this year until the end of last May, compared to the same period in 2023.
The increase came as a result of the increase in the cumulative quantity of vegetable exports to 130 thousand tons, an increase of 27% compared to the cumulative vegetable exports until the end of May of last year 2023.
