Khaberni - Abdul Rahman Al-Ghazawi, the president of the Jordanian Citrus Association, said he received reports indicating the presence of Turkish-origin lemons in some central markets, especially in the central market of Amman.
He added that the entry of these lemons is illegal and covert, while expressing surprise at the role of the Ministry of Agriculture and its staff in controlling these violations occurring in broad daylight.
He noted that the entry of these products began yesterday, most of them in blue boxes, confirming that there are names of the commercial stores that sell them.
Al-Ghazawi expressed his astonishment at the absence of monitoring and how these goods bypass the Ministry of Agriculture's staff in the border areas, then enter the central markets, and are distributed directly to retail stores.
He called on the relevant authorities to tighten control at the border crossings to prevent the entry of any unlicensed products and to enforce the penalty on the smuggler without leniency, affirming that the Jordanian farmer is the victim.
He estimated the smuggled quantity that entered the central market of Amman today to be 45,000 kg, in addition to tens of tons believed to be distributed to commercial stores outside the market, according to Al-Ghazawi.
He said, “What is happening is a real disaster for the farmer and the national product, and this illegal entry of the lemons results in significant revenue loss for the government due to tax and customs evasion, and exposes the consumer to health risks since these goods entered Jordan without quarantine or laboratory examinations.”
Al-Ghazawi questioned whether the Ministry of Agriculture will perform its role, seize the smuggled goods, and bring the owners to justice.
