Farms certified to export products to EU

AMMAN -- Two Jordanian farms acquired the European Good Agricultural Practices (EuroGAP) Certificate on Wednesday, granting them access to the EU's lucrative markets.

The EuroGAP certificate allows farmers to export their products directly to European supermarkets and stores, bypassing the EU's central markets, where Jordanian agricultural products fetch much lower prices and are subject to commission fees, said Muna Sarsak, EuroGAP Project Coordinator at the Producers Association for Fruit and Vegetables (JEPA).

"The achievement is the first fruit of cooperation between JEPA and the KAFAA project for sustainable irrigation water use, with the support of the American Agency for International Development (USAID)," said Sarask.

She said staff from JEPA had trained the two farms' owners, Yousef Barakat and Mohammad Alfi, on the standards and conditions of acquiring the certificate.

Sarsak said a total of 15 farms in the country now hold the certificate, which is awarded according to strict criteria.

Minister of Agriculture Akef Zu'bi announced on Tuesday that JD700,000 has been allocated to assist farmers facing problems exporting their products to EU markets.

According to the minister, exports of fruit and vegetables to the EU are expected to reach 7,000 tonnes by the end of this year, compared to 4,000 tonnes last year.

The Eurogap certificate, a private sector programme established by a group of large food retailers to set standards for food safety and quality, was implemented at the beginning of 2004.

The programme aims to attain a standard level of produce quality by requiring growers to label their products as grown under environment-friendly conditions.