AMMAN - The government will reconsider import procedures for agricultural products in order to ensure that all imported items are labelled with a Certificate of Origin showing the country from which they were exported, a senior Agriculture Ministry official said on Monday.
Agriculture Minister Saeed Masri told presidents of several professional associations yesterday, a day after dozens of activists protested against the import of Israeli products, that the ministry will review import procedures to ensure the protection of the Jordanian market and local farmers.
"The ministry has no jurisdiction to stop the imports of agricultural products from Israel despite the significant quantity, but we agreed with the unionists on the importance of labelling all imported agricultural items with complete information about the country of origin and leaving the choice to the local consumer to buy the product, whether it is from Israel or any other country," Masri said in a statement issued after the meeting.
According to the minister, Jordan imported 1,488 tonnes of vegetables and 422 tonnes of fruit from Israel during the first six months of this year, while in 2007 and 2008, Jordan purchased 11,000 and 4,300 tonnes of vegetables, and 5,400 and 2,600 tonnes of fruit respectively.
Masri stressed that there were no differences between the ministry and the professional associations, adding that they all work for the protection of the homeland and its institutions and economic interests, according to the statement, which was e-mailed to The Jordan Times.
"The ministry has taken strict measures with regard to import licensing. We strongly reject importing any agricultural items that come from the Israeli settlements," the minister added.
Meanwhile, Jordan Agricultural Engineers Association President Abdul Hadi Falahat told The Jordan Times yesterday that "the interests of the country are the responsibility of all... and we must all do our duty, whether through the government or civil society institutions".
He added that during the meeting, association heads insisted on the public's freedom of expression, adding that they called on the government to reconsider the Wadi Araba Peace Treaty with Israel.
Police dispersed Sunday's protest, which authorities said was illegal because organisers did not obtain the required approval.
The protesters, who included Islamist activists, leftists and students from the University of Jordan, chanted anti-Israeli slogans and called for an end to imports from Israel, particularly fruit and vegetables, believed to be cultivated in West Bank settlements.
Meanwhile, the Higher Executive Committee for Defending the Homeland and Confronting Normalisation, a group formed by opposition parties and professional associations, expressed support for the protest in a statement faxed to The Jordan Times yesterday.
The statement, which was signed by MP Hamzeh Mansour, called on the government to reveal the names of local traders, brokers and businessmen dealing with Israelis or importing from Israel, as well as data related to their companies.
By Hani Hazaimeh
© Jordan Times 2009
