5 agreements underway to support surplus tomato production

The Ministry of Agriculture began on Tuesday concluding agreements with 5 local tomato concentrate factories. To date, coordination has been made with two factories to push the agreement with farmers, aimed to absorb the largest possible amount of surplus tomato production, according to a ministry statement. This measure comes within the framework of government support for tomato farmers, which provides JD50 for each tonne of exported tomato, and JD50 for each tonne prepared for manufacturing, which aims to support 20,000 tonnes with a total amount of JD1 million from the Agricultural Risk Fund. The ministry indicated that some tomato shipments have begun to be exported to Egypt and other new and non-traditional markets, to enhance export sustainability, noting the "continuous" coordination with exporters to benefit from government support and increase export quantities. The ministry added that the quantities delivered to Jordan's central markets have begun to match local needs, adding that this gradual a nd regular delivery of tomato would contribute to balance prices despite the "noticeable" decline in current demand at vegetable and fruit markets. Source: Jordan News Agency