Palestinian farmer Abdullah Balouna from the Nasiriyah area in the central Jordan Valley takes advantage of the first few hours of the day to head to his land in the Samit Plain to collect cucumbers before the sun rises during the holy month of Ramadan.
Dozens of farmers who are relatives and acquaintances of Balouna rush to get their job done by 10 AM when heat levels reach the highest reaching more than 45 degrees Celsius in the first ten days of Ramadan.
On the occasion of the holy month of Ramadan a delegation from the Union of Workers at the Agriculture and Food Industries Association in Nablus and Tubas Governorates headed by the Secretary of the National Union Abdul Karim Duykat visited the Jordan Valley to check on farmers and listen to their concerns and problems and work with them to solve them in addition to providing them with instructions on plantations.
Fasting and working
“Farmers in the Jordan Valley are facing a harsh weather in the Jordan Valley and are doing their work to bring food to their families” said Duykat. “It is becoming more difficult for them especially during the month of Ramadan which is very hot in the Palestinian Territories.”
The situation is not different in the Atouf Plain to the east of the town of Tammoun in the northern valley where tens of Palestinian families engage in agriculture both in open land and at greenhouses since the early morning hours.
Farmer Jamal Bani Odeh says the temperature in greenhouses is seven degrees higher than normal which means that it may exceed 50 degrees at the height of the day which poses a danger to farmers who are fasting and feeling very thirsty.
He notes that farmers take advantage of the early hours of the morning and some have to work a few hours only just before sunset to make use of what he called the “cool” temperature.
The Palestinian Territories have experienced an unprecedented heat wave while meteorological sources predict that the coming days will witness an improvement in weather conditions and a significant drop in temperature.
Losses without compensation
Dirar Abu Omar the Director General of Agricultural Relief in Nablus Governorate said that farmers in the Jordan Valley suffer in many different ways especially during the month of Ramadan due to fasting in addition to changing weather conditions in addition to not receiving compensation for damages they suffered throughout the previous years.
He affirms that these steadfast farmers on their land should receive all the help and support from the official and civil authorities and that they should not be left alone as the Jordan Valley has become the center of Israeli settlers’ greed.
