Amman - Agriculture Ministry technical teams will start today assessing damages sustained by crops in the Jordan Valley in light of a recent frost spell that damaged 4,000 dunums of vegetables.
Subzero temperatures and cold brisk winds in the Jordan Valley on Tuesday night affected thousands of dunums of various crops, with some plants sustaining up to 100 per cent damage.
"Crops like zucchinis, eggplants and potatoes were most affected by the frost.
Although farmers stayed up all night and took precautionary measures to avoid losses, their farms did not escape damages due to the freezing temperatures," Director of the Jordan Valley Agriculture Directorate Najah Masalha told The Jordan Times on Thursday.
Al Zour area, which is the hardest hit by frost spells annually, sustained the most damage, Masalha said, underscoring that agricultural produce in the area, which is adjacent to the Jordan River and witnesses cold air, is more likely to freeze faster.
"Luckily, fruit and citrus trees were not affected by the frost spell. Al Shuneh District was also safe from the frost," the agriculture official said, noting that last year, even areas that did not normally witness below-zero temperatures were highly affected by frost.
A frost spell in January last year damaged 120,000 dunums planted with fruits and vegetables across the country, 90 per cent of which were located in the Jordan Valley.
Several fruits and vegetables such as zucchinis, aubergines, potatoes, beans, bell peppers, bananas and citrus trees were affected, with estimated damages at over JD10 million.
Regarding the estimated losses caused by this week's frost spell, Masalha said technical teams comprising representatives from the ministries of agriculture and finance, the Jordan Valley Authority and the Jordanian Farmers Union will start today assessing damages and estimating compensation based on the maturity of the crops and the percentage affected.
The frost-stricken area represents 1.6 per cent of the Jordan Valley's total agricultural area, which consists of 250,000 dunums, 170,000 of which are planted with vegetables and the rest with bananas, grain and citrus fruits.
Meanwhile, the Jordan Meteorological Department (JMD) on Thursday said warming temperatures in different parts of the country will reduce frost formation.
The department forecast a slight increase in temperatures today as it will be fair during the day and cold overnight with southeasterly moderate to brisk winds. Temperatures will range between a high of 16ºC and a low of 5ºC in Amman.
On Saturday, temperatures will drop, with chances of scattered rain overnight in country's northern regions. Mercury levels will range between 15ºC during the day dropping to 6ºC in the evening.
Temperatures will continue to drop on Sunday, JMD sources said, as the weather will be relatively cold and cloudy with chances of rainfall during the day in the northern and central parts of the Kingdom. Daytime temperatures will peak at 13ºC and dip to 4ºC overnight with northwesterly moderate winds.
© Jordan Times 2009
