Growers in Jordan have enlisted the help of Writtle College’s post-harvest unit to better target the UK market and increase the standard and quality of the country’s produce.
Mohammed Al-Tarawneh, Atef, K Al Shannag and Bassam Al Shobaki, all from Jordan’s National Centre for Agriculture Research and Technology Transfer (NCARTT) visited the unit for a three-week intensive training period on everything from handling produce in fields, to storage and waste disposal.
The team will now take the knowledge it has acquired back to small-scale growers in the Jordan Valley - the country’s largest growing area - and deliver the skills through their own newly established post-harvest unit.
While many growers in the valley area have aligned themselves with European certification such as EurepGAP, smaller growers are still striving to reach these standards, and the team hopes the training will help these growers achieve this.
Al Shannag said: “We have come here to improve the quality of our produce. The UK is now considered the best market for Jordanian exporters, offering a very high crop value.”
“[Writtle College] can be so helpful for Jordan. Post harvest is the main problem for us so maybe they can help us solve it,” Al Shobaki added.
Heading up Writtle’s post-harvest unit, Chris Bishop said the knowledge transfer project was all part of the unit’s continuing international focus, which has seen the team visit a variety of countries, including Egypt, the US, Uganda and South Africa. And such research is likely to continue on a more regular basis, he added.
Research associate Sue Phasey said: “It is all part of our wider scheme to become ever more dynamic and international in our outlook.”
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