FAO/GIEWS - Foodcrops & Shortages 09/01 - JORDAN (10 September)
Erratic rainfall and very high temperatures, about 10 degrees C above average, have severely affected the 2001 wheat, barley, vegetable and fruit production. The unusual spread of some plant pests, largely due to the heat wave, has also exacerbated the damage particularly on irrigated vegetable and fruit trees. This follows the severe drought in 1999 and 2000 that also seriously affected cereal and horticultural crops. The 2001 wheat crop is forecast at 13 000 tonnes, about 54 and 60 percent below last year’s reduced crop and the average for the previous five years respectively. Similarly, the barley crop, estimated at 17 000 tonnes, is about 77 percent below average. The livestock sector was also severely affected, with sheep farmers the hardest hit.