Jordan working with Turkey to solve tomato oversupply crisis
Minister Hanifat and the Ambassador discussed the possibility of improving the Jordanian-Turkish cooperation in the field of agriculture. He said that there are a number of agreements with the Turkish Development Agency (Taka) to finance the launch of projects involving the Jordanian agricultural sector, in addition to an agreement to open a tomato drying plant this year in the Mafraq area in order to deal with the surplus tomato production.
Al-Hanifat said that the balance of trade between the two countries tends to favour Turkey, and that the Ministry is moving towards the implementation of a new policy to adjust the balance of trade and reach a good balance between Jordan's imports and exports.
For his part, the Turkish Ambassador invited the Minister of Agriculture to attend an agricultural exhibition to be held in Turkey in early February accompanied by a delegation of Jordanian entrepreneurs and investors devoted to the agricultural sector.
Regarding Jordan's crisis, caused by the closure of markets to Jordanian agricultural exports due to the on-going land border closures between Jordan, Iraq and Syria, and which has coincided with a tomato oversupply, the Turkish Ambassador promised to address his government to study the opening of a window to allow an increase in the volume of tomato shipments into Turkey and help alleviate the situation.
Source: alrai.com