Wildfires that swept the Jordan Valley on Friday caused thousands of dinars in produce losses. “Fires erupted on Friday around 2pm, engulfing an area spanning six kilometres,” said Jamal Masalha, Secretary General at the Jordan Valley Farmers Union. He added that firefighters were able to extinguish the fire by 8 pm on Friday. However, some fires flared up again on Saturday morning, said Masalha.
The main crops affected were date palms, fruit trees and cereal crops. According to Masalha, dozens of farms were damaged by the fire, which partially or completely burned down dozens of mature citrus trees, date palms and seasonal vegetables, in addition to farm equipment. The wildfires spread from the Israeli side of the Jordan River and destroyed farmers’ crops.
Adnan Khaddam, president of the Jordan Valley Farmers Union, said that farmers who own land adjacent to the Israeli border incur “significant losses” each season as their trees, crops and infrastructure are often burned in fires that start in Israel and spread to the Kingdom.
Source: jordantimes.com