International Labour Organisation

Report on value chain analysis:

The tomato sector in Mafraq Governorate
Jordan

March 2014

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Table of Contents
1. Executive summary.................................................................................................................. 3

2. Background .............................................................................................................................. 3

2.1 Project background ............................................................................................................... 3

2.2 Mafraq Governorate ............................................................................................................. 5

2.3 The tomato sector ................................................................................................................. 6

3. Analytical framework: ILOs approach to value chain analysis ................................................ 9

3.1 The value chain...................................................................................................................... 9

3.2 Participatory value chain development for decent work ................................................... 11

3.3 The five value chain drivers ................................................................................................. 12

4. Main findings from the analysis ............................................................................................ 13

4.1 First level: Input and sourcing ............................................................................................. 14

4.2 Second level: Production ..................................................................................................... 15

4.3 Third level: Sales and marketing ......................................................................................... 19

4.4 System efficiency ................................................................................................................. 20

4.5 The supporting factors ........................................................................................................ 21

4.6 Enabling Environment ......................................................................................................... 22

4.7 Decent Work in the tomato value chain and gender .......................................................... 23

5. Intervention matrix................................................................................................................ 23

6. Recommendations and next steps ........................................................................................ 33

Annex A: Members of the value chain team............................................................................. 35

Annex B: Institutional mapping ................................................................................................. 37

Annex C: Glance on Sun Dried Tomatoes Global Production ................................................... 39

Annex D: Glance on Tomato Paste Global Production ............................................................. 40

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 1. Executive summary
This report covers the process and results from the value chain analysis conducted on the
tomatoes sector in Mafraq Governorate. The exercise was a part of the ILO project ‘Enhancing
access to employment and livelihoods for Jordanian host communities affected by the Syrian
refugee crises’ in the northern governorates of Jordan.

The project strategy aims at addressing constraints and creating better livelihoods for the large
number of enterprises, women and men, affected by the refugee crisis. It endeavours to do so
through four intervention areas: 1) value chain development of selected sectors in Irbid and
Mafraq to stimulate job creation and enterprise growth; 2) enabling business environment
improvements, including addressing labour market challenges, through public-private sector
dialogue; 3) developing effective employment services and structures for employment
generation; and 4) local capacity building to support business start-up and expansion through
entrepreneurship capacity building.

The value chain analysis was conducted in a participatory manner and led to the identification
of a number of constraints and opportunities for developing the sector. These are grouped into
the following categories: 1) Improve inputs in terms of quality and price, 2) Develop new
products and increase production with technological upgrading, 3) Market development, 4)
Improve efficiency of value chain, 5) Improve support structures and services for the sector,
and 6) Improve the enabling environment. At the end, the report presents an intervention plan
for how to address the issues and provide solutions with a view to increasing employment and
livelihood opportunities for host communities in the Mafraq governorate.

2. Background
The value chain work is taking place in the context of the ILO project to support the
enhancement of employment opportunities and livelihoods for Jordanian host communities
affected by the Syrian refugee crisis. Besides sharing information on the situation of the host
communities and the overall project, this section will also provide background information
concerning the Governorate of Mafraq as well as the tomato sector and choice of value chain.

2.1 Project background

The Syrian refugee crisis continues to deepen, leading to great human tragedy. In Jordan there
are over a million Syrians, as of the end of 2013, from which over 560,000 are registered as

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refugees and more than half of whom reside in Mafraq and Irbid. A particular characteristic of
the Syrian refugee population is its vulnerability due to its predominantly high proportion of
women, children and elderly. The number of conflict affected people is expected to rise
considerably as there appears to be no political solution or an end to the fighting in sight.

This situation has had implications for local communities. Local people are experiencing fierce
competition in the labour market due to the fact that Syrian labourers are filling positions and
are very competitive in terms of both wages and skills. Jordanian employers value Syrian and
other non-Jordanian workers but as Jordanian unemployment rises, the Government is seeking
support to combat the rising unemployment rates in Jordanian host communities. Additionally,
since Syrian refugees do not have official work permits, all those working are doing so on an
informal basis causing the Jordanian labour market to become increasingly informalized.

Moreover, the competition for jobs as well as for public services (education, health, sanitation
etc.), has created tensions between local and refugee communities. It is crucial to support
stable conditions in Jordan, and essential to maintain the existing goodwill of the Jordanian
Government and people, in order to receive and manage the huge refugee inflows. Jordanian
authorities are concerned about internal security, due both to potential clashes between
refugees belonging to the two Syrian factions and an increase of violence, beggars and
criminality, especially in Northern governorates.

The most affected governorates are Mafraq and Irbid. In the third quarter of 2013 Mafraq
(including the Za’atari refugee camp) had an estimated refugee density of nearly 55 per cent,
whilst Irbid was the second most affected, with a refugee density of 22 per cent.1

Jordan is currently seeing an annual growth rate of 2.7 per cent but this is not enough to meet
the growth in the labour force even without the influx of refugees. Every year 60,000 youth
enter the labour market. Official unemployment has increased from 12.7 per cent in 2010 to an
estimated 13.1 per cent in 2013. Women and youth are most affected, with 22.3 and 22.8 per
cent official unemployment respectively. Unofficial overall unemployment is probably higher.

There is therefore a great need for interventions that generate jobs and improve incomes, in
particular in communities that host large numbers of refugees. A recent assessment of
employment generation and training in host communities conducted by the ILO, (under the
framework of the consolidated host community support), also recommended that
consideration should be given to rapid implementation of small employment creation projects
targeted at municipalities with especially high refugee densities2. This calls for a series of

1 UNHCR: https://data.unhcr.org/syrianrefugees/country.php?id=107
2 Host community assessment for the UN host community platform - Livelihoods and employment group (still draft)

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practical local-level interventions that stimulate job creation and business growth as well as an
enabling environment. This is, in turn, expected to mitigate negative employment and wage
impacts from the inflow of Syrian labour in the affected governorates.

The cooperation was started with partners in Irbid and Mafraq Governorates as well as upon a
central level to implement the start-up phase of a response to the refugee crisis. The project is
implemented under the framework of the ILO support to the response to the Syrian refugee
crisis. The component named ‘Enhancing access to employment opportunities and livelihoods
in host communities’, was in turn implemented under the framework of the UNDP project
‘Mitigating the impact of the Syrian refugee crisis on Jordanian vulnerable host communities’
and the already existing government agreement with the Ministry of Interior. The project has
four interventions areas:

1. Value chain development in selected sectors in Irbid and Mafraq

2. Business enabling environment improvement, including addressing labour market
challenges
3. Developing effective employment services and improving employability
4. Local capacity building to support business start-up and expansion

The value chain analysis of the current report belongs to component one, with all the
components being complementary, and supporting each other.

2.2 Mafraq Governorate

Al-Mafraq is one of the governorates of Jordan, located to the north-east of Amman. It has a
population of about 293,000, making up 4.5% of Jordan's population. Its capital is Mafraq,
which is known for its military bases.

The governorate covers the entire North-Eastern part of

the kingdom and is the only governorate in Jordan that
has borders with three countries: Iraq to the east, Syria to
the north, and Saudi Arabia to the south. It is bordered by
Irbid and Jerash governorates to the west, and by Zarqa
governorate to the south. Mafraq governorate is the
second largest by area in the kingdom, but yet the second
smallest by population density (after Ma'an). The climate
is dry most of the year. The western region of the
province is part of the fertile Houran plateaus that extend
through Southern Syria, the Golan Heights and Northern
Jordan.

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The population is 30% urban and 70% is rural. Jordanian citizens make up about 94% of the
population. The female to male ratio is 48.17 to 51.83 and a population density of 10.8 persons
per km2. The civil war in Syria resulted in the immigration of more than 560,000 registered
Syrian refugees to Jordan, mostly settled in Mafraq and Irbid Governorates, and probably up to
one million when including unregistered refugees. In July 2012, the Zaatari refugee camp was
opened in Mafraq Governorate for Syrian refugees. Demographics of Mafraq Governorate 2004
Census 2011 Estimate:

The Department of Statistics census from 2012 showed that the Ministry of Labour issued
14,000 work permits to foreigners that year in the Governorate of Mafraq alone. Out of these
permits, 10,000 were for farm workers, of which the vast majority were Egyptian. At the same
time, the same census shows that the unemployment rate for the Governorate was at 11.8% or
8,532 people.

2.3 The tomato sector

Before choosing this sector, other relevant sectors were also considered for creating jobs and
generating business opportunities. A number of criteria were assessed, such as outreach to
affected populations, gender, market opportunities, employment growth potential, appeal to
host communities, creating employment for women, and the interests of stakeholders and
potential partners. A short list was prepared and discussed with MoI and at forums in the
governorates. In both governorates, agro-business sectors were prioritised for the start-up
phase with olives in Irbid and tomatoes in Mafraq. a

The tomato sector is a traditional source of income and livelihood in Mafraq and falls under the
agriculture sector in broader economic terms and is important particularly to the rural poor
households owing to the following reasons:

 Tomatoes provide income and hold potential for increasing the household income
 Tomatoes can be grown without advanced technology
 There are large areas of suitable agricultural lands

In keeping with the objectives of the project as well as the VCD philosophy, the selection of the
tomato sector in Mafraq governorate can be justified on the basis of the points below:

 Involvement of rural / poor households is considerably high in the sector

 It is a common small scale livelihood option in the governorate
 Presence of a clear value chain

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  Input resources are adequately available
 There are opportunities for both export and expanding local market
 There is ample scope for improvements

Jordan is considered to be in an advantageous position as a potential relatively low cost

supplier of tomatoes. The local producers can pursue a strategy of selecting top quality
products to endeavour to meet demand in the European, Gulf, and local markets with a variety
of presentations including fresh and processed tomatoes.

Agriculture forms a central element of the economy for Mafraq Governorate, especially on the
Houran Plateau in the western part of the governorate. The total area of fruit farms in the
governorate for 2008 was 48.676 km2, with a total production of 101874 tons of fruits, mainly
apples and peaches, according to the ministry of Agriculture. The total area of vegetable farms
in the province for 2008 was 8.295 km2 with a total production of 15540 tons, with tomatoes,
onions, garlic, and lettuce being the main products.

Jordan ranked 26th in global production of tomatoes in 2012, with the production of 810,524
tons of tomatoes, equal to 0.49% of global production. Egypt ranked 5th in global production of
tomatoes in the same year, producing 5.1% of global production3.

3 UN Food and Agriculture Organization.

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 Data compiled from various sources:
Source for Exports and Imports: UN-ComTrade Data Base
Source for Local Consumption: Department of Statistics
Source for Local Production: Food and Agriculture Organization

The sector is characterized by relatively small producers, who are, due to lack of other options,
required to sell their produce through municipal wholesale markets. In general, producers tend
to gradually improve their production technology, while maintaining their relatively traditional
post-harvest practices. Their production is largely supply-driven, while the current marketing
system does not induce improvements with regard to produce quality.

There are a number of tomato exporters who procure the fresh produce for exporting to
neighbouring countries. Generally, they lack a long-term export strategy, reflected by the
absence of investment in appropriate marketing facilities, equipment, etc. The emphasis of
exporters, in particular those using road transport, appears to be on bulk shipments of low
quality produce, packed in a traditional way by a variety of domestic producers for an
undefined market. Shipments to the region, including the Gulf States, are customarily sold
through local commission agents, without any forward sales agreements regarding quality,
quantity, or price. Exporters are accustomed to responding to the oversupply situation in the
domestic market rather than specific requirements of well-defined target markets.

Three tomato paste factories that were established in recent years have failed as a result of
their inability to organize the production of farmers. Hence, farmers’ production needs to be
prolonged over an extended period of time, to match the capacity of the factories, and secured
with long term contractual relationships that would take into consideration quality, quantity,
variety, and continuity of supply. Unfortunately, the tomato paste factories traded just like the
exporter in that they relied on random tomato oversupply situations to operate rather than
long term contractual programs with tomato producers.

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One factory in Mafraq is still in operation and has facilities for producing tomato paste and
juice. It is however experiencing difficulties as it cannot produce at competitive prices, and is
struggling with competition from imports, mainly from China. They complain that the cost of
the raw materials are too high, and even hard to get when demand often exeeds supply.
Interestingly, one of the new large sources of demand is the large Zaateri refugee camp, which
has increased the demand for tomatoes considerably. All in all, this means that there is great,
and probably increasing, demand to be met with the consequent opportunities for livelihood
creation and economic growth to be explored.

3. Analytical framework: ILOs approach to value chain analysis

The project applied the participatory value chain development methodology of ILO, which is
one of ILOs main tools for employment creation. It bases itself on the ILO manual ‘Value Chain
Development for Decent Work – A Guide for Development Practitioners, Government and
Private Sector Initiatives’ (2009)4 which is a well-tested tool that can be initiated rapidly. The
strategy is to strengthen local capacity for value chain development and ensure local ownership
of the process while at the same time conducting the value chain analysis.

The work was initiated with sensitization of stakeholders concerning value chain approaches
and how to conduct a participatory value chain analysis, following the approach of the ILO
guideline. The stakeholders were keen on the idea and methodology and it was decided to go
ahead with one value chain in each governorate to start with. Following the guideline, local
facilitators were trained to assess local value chains in a ‘learning-by-doing approach. Under the
projects facilitation, they undertook the data collection, conducted extensive interviews and
held focus group meetings with stakeholders, including market actors and target groups.
Thereafter, the facilitator teams conducted the analysis under the guidance of an ILO specialist,
leading to a complete set of prioritised interventions.

3.1 The value chain

The term Value Chain refers to the fact that value is added to preliminary products through the
combination of other resources (for example tools, manpower, knowledge and skills, other raw

4http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_emp/---emp_ent/---
ifp_seed/documents/instructionalmaterial/wcms_115490.pdf

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materials or preliminary products). As the product passes through several stages of the value
chain, the value of the product increases.

The figure below (from the manual) sketches the value chain approach and aspects to be
considered:

The market system:

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 Source: Springfield Centre

Taking a value chain approach to economic development and poverty reduction (that includes
creation of Decent Jobs) involves addressing major constraints and capitalizing on opportunities
faced by input suppliers, producers, processors, traders and other businesses at multiple levels
and points along a given value chain. This will inevitably include a wide range of activities such
as improving access to necessary inputs, developing the capacity and skills of human resources,
improving working conditions and productivity, strengthening the delivery of business and
financial services, enabling the flow of information, facilitating improved market access, or
increasing access to higher-value markets or value-added products. Value chain analysis
identifies opportunities and constraints of a particular local/regional sector and analysis its
market integration. The end result is an action plan or implementation matrix that proposes
various solutions addressing identified opportunities and constraints.

3.2 Participatory value chain development for decent work

The approach for value chain development is to strengthen local capacity for value chain
development in the process and ensure local ownership. A local lead is needed, i.e. a focal point
organisation, to support the work locally. Local facilitators are trained and undertake the actual
data collection and conduct the analysis under the guidance of ILO experts. This immediately
addresses the specific value chain on which the work is conducted and, in turn, builds local
capacity for undertaking such analysis and address constraints. The participatory approach

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ensures local ownership and thereby the sustainability of the interventions. The participatory
approach also advises a highly consultative methodology for both stakeholder engagement and
research.

The first sensitisation workshop was held for main stakeholders of the governorate to inform
about the project and to gauge the buy-in of stakeholder. Under the guidance of an ILO value
chain development consultant, participants learned about the project and the value chain
methodology and agreed to go ahead. Thereafter they were asked to appoint organisations and
staff to join the research team. The governorates and key partners proposed team members for
the value chain teams and as soon as the teams were appointed the facilitator training started.
The training applied the methodology of learning-by-doing and was done with the two-pronged
goal whereby participants are trained in the methodology and to do the value chain assessment
while at the same time actually conducting the assessment, leading to the value chain analysis
and intervention plan. See annex A for the list of the value chain team

Upon completion of the facilitator training, workshops were held where the facilitator team
presented their initial results in the so-called hypothesis workshop and prepared for the field
research and data collection. The research phase lasted the next two weeks where the
facilitator team conducted focus group meetings and interviews to gather data and assess
challenges and opportunities in the sector. The data was processed and, finally, findings were
shared and validated with local stakeholders in the so-called presentation workshop.

Upon completion of the value chain assessments, the intervention plan was made. An
important factor is that the exercise identifies what needs to be done and who can do it, whilst
promoting the concept of bringing stakeholders and resources together on tackling constraints,
developing opportunities, and sourcing resources jointly. Hence, more work is needed to
engage other stakeholders, whether that be central government or other development
partners, to support the implementation. As for ILOs further support, a budget has been made
available to start implementation during the so-called bridging phase of the project in the first
half of 2014. The interventions will be implemented under the lead of local stakeholders, with
assistance of ILO.

3.3 The five value chain drivers

To add a slightly more detailed set of factors that may influence the dynamics of the value
chain, the ILO VCD approach emphasizes five drivers for value chain development. These are:
system efficiency, product quality and specifications, product differentiation (competition),
social and environmental standards (especially labour condition and practices), as well as policy

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and regulatory frame work which affects the overall performance of the sector, as depicted
below.

Five drivers of change for value chain development:

These aspects or drivers will be considered throughout the analysis of the value chain in the
section dealing with the findings.

4. Main findings from the analysis

The value chain analysis is divided into three analytical groups: The value chain itself,
supporting functions and rules and regulations as depicted in the figure on page 8.

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Concerning the chain the research team identified five stages:

sales and
marketing
of fresh
tomatoes

inputs farming

sales and
processing marketing
of
products

Based on this framework, the research team identified processes and constraints along the
value chain, looking first at 1) inputs and sourcing, then 2) farming and production and finally 3)
distribution and marketing.

4.1 First level: Input and sourcing

Mafraq has large cultivation areas and favourable weather conditions as well as access to
relatively cheap labour. However, the tomato growing sector lacks professionalism and
production technology. Access to irrigation water and diseases control is also an issue.

When discussing inputs, participants listed the inputs for the farming process, such as tilling
equipment, seedlings, water pumps and irrigation equipment, fertilizers, poly tunnel covers,
pesticides, manual tools and wooden crates for packaging. Two issues were highlighted in the
research: the first is related to the quality of those inputs and the second to their price.

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Regarding quality, it was assessed that the quality of the available inputs are not monitored as
much as they should be, and thus their quality and effectiveness cannot be guaranteed. For
example, the seedlings are not categorized based on their origins in order to allow the grower
to choose the seedlings needed. So an initiative is needed to ensure the supply of adequate
seedlings to the tomato growers in Mafraq, including the production of special seedlings for
green houses.

The fertilizers and pesticides also tend to be of poor quality, according to several growers. In
fact, some growers have faced major problems as a consequence of the application of useless,
if not harmful, fertilizing materials in their fields. Thus, it can be concluded that there is room
for improvement concerning the quality and standard of the farming inputs and better quality
control is needed.

Moreover, the tomato growers suffer from the rising costs of a number of core items,
especially the costs of inputs which keep rising continuously as opposed to the price of the end
product. Many of the inputs are imported, relatively expensive and subject to fluctuating
market prices and taxes. This is especially true for the wooden crates; these crates are usually
imported from Syria, however the conflict in Syria has made it difficult to continue to obtain
these crates at reasonable prices. Added to this crisis are the high import tariffs, increasing the
price paid by the farmers which has to be reflected in the price of the end product.

Moreover, small-hold farmers find it difficult to get to use mechanical tilling equipment due to
its high rental costs on one hand, and the rising cost of fuel on the other.

Concerning water, there is reportedly enough ground water available but it needs to be
pumped up from about 600 meters underground. This means that pumping the water up
requires fairly advanced equipment, which is prohibitively expensive. Concerning irrigation, the
price of electricity is reportedly the major restraining factor. More research is needed to
understand how reliable the supply of water is and if tomato production can be up-scaled in a
sustainable manner.

4.2 Second level: Production

The great advantage is that the products are in high demand locally and internationally but the
lack of knowledge in production techniques, poor quality fruit and poor cooperation between
the value chain players remains a challenge.

Concerning planting and growing, the tomato growers in Mafraq have worked in the industry
for many years, however they stick to traditional methods and varieties. They are not aware of
the diversity of todays market demands and focus only on producing one type of tomato.

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There are many varieties now that are also in high demand such as cherry tomatoes, industrial
tomato varieties (for tomato paste manufacturing), as well as organic tomatoes at premium
prices. Yet, these types are currently not produced as the growers do not seem to be aware of
the market opportunities or market access is constrained.

Labour

There is a demand for more labour at farm level but this is most likely to be filled by immigrant
workers since local Jordanians are less attracted to farm work. Getting enough labour to the
farms seems to be one of the major production issues. The growers have also complained
about the complexity in the process to get a license, for hiring migrant workers, from the
Ministry of Labour. It is very costly and hence encourages informal practices. The bottleneck
concerning hiring of immigrant labour should be resolved, and should not be considered an
issue if it does not mean job losses for Jordanians

Jordanian workers are less interested in the field work but rather prefer jobs further up the
value chain. Hence, it should be explored how more jobs and livelihood opportunities can be
created in higher value adding activities, such as processing, either at industrial scale or
cottage industry level. The latter may be particularly relevant for female entrepreneurs who
can produce from home or in smaller production cooperatives. There is an opportunity to
engage women in household production of tomato paste and dried tomatoes, initially, by
building their capacity and linking them up with microcredit institutes. This can be done
through an organized partnership with local technical stakeholders, such as IRADA, to conduct
the technical capacity building and conduct the relevant feasibility studies.

Some stakeholders claim that inappropriate working conditions for farm workers and low pay
(possibly under the minimum wage) is the reason that Jordanians are not prepared to work
on farms and that if the conditions and pay were better, then Jordanians would take up farm
work. A rapid study should be made to assess this situation with its cultural dimension, and if
there is really significant potential for creating jobs for host communities at local farms, simply
by improving the working conditions.

Increase quality and quantity of fresh produce

There seems to be an increasingly high demand for tomatoes, far exceeding what is currently
being met by local producers. Hence, efforts should be invested into expanding production to
essentially keep pace with current market demand, for example the tomato factory in Mafraq
which reportedly cannot get enough fresh produce, as well as that of new potential markets.

Generally production is characterised by low-tech and traditional methods of growing

tomatoes. Hence, to boost the sector there is a need for technological upgrading and
introduction of higher yielding methods. Options for transfer of advanced technology include:

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 a. Use of proper varieties that are appropriate for the area and are marketable locally and
internationally. These must also be clearly identifiable as produced for the fresh or
processing markets.
b. Only strictly controlled use of pesticides and fertilizers, permitted internationally.
c. Use of modern agricultural technologies required by GlobalGAP and accepted by
importing countries.
d. Training for the labour force on applications of modern agricultural techniques, ranging
from planting, to proper harvesting and/or processing, in order to attain the high quality
production that meets national and international specifications.

Transfer of advanced technology in the areas of picking, grading, cooling, storage, packaging,
processing, and transporting through:

a. Continuous consultation and co-ordination with the buyers, importers, and the parties
involved in order to stay informed about the pre-set conditions, specifications, and
standards that precede the preparation processes for marketing locally and for export
marketing.
b. Investment in picking, grading, packaging, cold storage, and equipment needed to
ensure proper handling of products and preserving its quality during its stay in the
storage.
c. Training technical staff that are able to prepare the product within the required
specifications, efficiency, and at minimum costs.
d. Providing the paste factories with the high quality raw materials required to maintain a
high quality product at every stage until it reaches the consumer.
e. Maintain highest sanitation conditions inside and outside the Packaging Centres, Paste
Factories, and Sun Drying Sites through installing appropriate systems and training
specialized staff.
f. Installing proper systems and following appropriate measures and practices to insure
fulfilling all production and value adding requirements.
g. Acquiring certificates and licenses that attest to the conformity of the products and the
production practices to the requirements.

Upgrading production methods should increase yield and improve the quality whereby the
produce should also become more price competitive.

Product differentiation

As growers and the whole production system in Mafraq tends to focus on one traditional
variety of tomato, options for increasing income and reaching new markets through product
differentiation needs to be explored.

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One product that sees very high international demand is sundried tomatoes. Jordan’s local
production of sun-dried tomatoes in 2010 was 185 tons, but a further 281 tons of sun-dried
tomatoes were imported in the same year. See annex C for further details. Also tomato paste
sees huge demand internationally and even in the domestic market there are opportunities;
Jordan currently imports over a third of its tomato paste, mainly from China and Syria, so
promoting local produce on the domestic market may offer good marketing opportunities. See
annex D for further details.

There is also a huge market for organic tomatoes. There is some organic growing going on but
the mechanisms for control and certification are not in place. So even if some producers label
their products ‘organic’ this is not certified and there are reportedly a great number of
producers that take advantage of the lack of controls and falsely sell their products labelled as
organic. An initiative should be launched for such certification, possibly through a farmers’
association or a standards and control board.

Overall, the option of introducing new varieties of tomato and new production methods, such
as organic farming, to meet market demand and market trends, should be explored. Pilots and
demonstration models should be launched to test new species and research and refine
methods that introduce farmers in practical ways, with a view to increasing their awareness
and confidence to engage in new ideas.

More value adding activities

The large tomato factory has idle capacity due to an increasingly sustained lack of tomatoes
from the farmers at an affordable price. Currently farmers are selling for export, for example to
Iraq or to the Zaateri camp, and get far higher prices than the factory can economically pay.
There should however be a possibility of increasing production and through more effective
methods be able to supply tomatoes to the factory at a competitive price. Hence, there seems
to be plenty of unfulfilled demand domestically that suggests a need for more efficient
production to ensure prices are competitive.

There are many options for smaller businesses to enter into manufacturing of various tomato
products. These include paste, sundried tomatoes and juice. A market assessment should be
made to assess business opportunities for higher value adding businesses in the tomato value
chain.

There is apparently a reluctance from the growers to developing their activities away from the
traditional methods because of the uncertainty concerning costs and market demand. Hence,
there is a need for assessing and documenting the demand and at the same time demonstrate
the method and profitability of changing practices and product types.

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Finally, there is very little cooperation and exchange of information between tomato growers.
Bringing the farmers together to develop the sector, work together on developing new markets
and new products could bring great benefits. The same applies on the input side where
cooperation for purchasing in bulk, increased bargaining power or creating joint businesses to
supply goods and services they lack, could be a great lever for development of the sector. Even
working together to enter into dialogue with government and advocate for changes and
assistance could bring advantages to the farmers. Currently, there is however little sense of
initiative towards joint efforts. Therefore, launching an initiative to sensitise growers to the
concept of having a business association, working together, usefulness of cooperatives and
advocacy work is recommended. This would hopefully lead to further cooperation,
strengthened bargaining positions and empowerment of the farmers.

4.3 Third level: Sales and marketing

Tomato producers in Mafraq have fairly good access to both local and international markets.
However, a number of challenges remain such as poor transport/logistics, lack of long term
planning and cheap imports that often compete with local fresh and processed products.
Moreover, the political instability in the region could result in sudden boarder closures and
many other unforeseen problems.

Mafraq Governorate is characterized by numerous small-holder tomato producers who are

estimated to produce about 70% of the total volume of tomatoes produced in Jordan. However,
this structure has led to certain marketing challenges. These challenges include:

Domestically, tomato growers are almost entirely reliant on the central market in Amman (Souk
Wasit) to sell their tomatoes, and this makes them very dependent on the traders and day to
day price volatility.. Those traders ultimately control the prices of the tomatoes, securing that
their share of the profits is intact in all events, while the risk of any losses sits solely with the
farmers. An alternative market option is lacking at present. The monopoly of the central
market traders puts the growers in a very weak bargaining position. Ideas for viable alternatives
are crucial, such as, joint marketing through producer cooperatives, or virtual buyer / seller
platforms, in order to create a fairer, more transparent and wider marketplace.

The tomato harvest is seasonal, leading to a supply glut in small windows of time whilst
demand supersedes supply at most other times of the year. One solution could be to promote
the wider usage of greenhouses to lengthen the season, which would also protect and improve
the quality of the fruit. Hence, there is a need for awareness raising and training in the use of
greenhouse technologies, possibly including production of low cost greenhouses, and better
packaging and transportation to reduce post-harvest losses. Access to new market channels, for

19
example through the large – currently totally underutilised - tomato processing facility just
outside Mafraq, needs to be explored.

Moreover, given the lack of cold storage facilities, growers are forced to sell their products
immediately after harvest to avoid any losses. Such facilities could put the growers in a better
bargaining position where they can hold on to their produce when market prices are low.

The demand for tomatoes fluctuates due to the lack of political stability in the region,
especially between Jordan and its neighbouring countries. The exports opportunities vary and
may suddenly disappear, leading to losses for the growers. In recent years, the growers were
affected because of the instability in Iraq which has only changed this year, again allowing the
growers to export their products in larger quantities to Iraq.

As earlier mentioned, the tendency is that the growers produce only one variety of tomatoes
with little knowledge of market demands and trends. Hence, providing farmers with better
knowledge of market opportunities could be a great lever for development of the sector. A
proper study of market opportunities, possibly in conjunction with a sector wide marketing
plan, should be conducted.

Locally, demand can also be furthered if cottage industries are promoted. However, it appears
that the relationship between tomato growers and the small-scale producers of household
products such as tomato paste or dried tomato is unstable and tense due to discouraging past
experiences. Yet, these firms are still surviving and may have a capacity to purchase and
produce more quantities of tomatoes than currently is the case.

Another factor that is negatively affecting the export potential of the sector is the fact that
freight prices from Jordan are higher, in fact much higher than from similar tomato exporting
countries in the region, such as Egypt. Work in co-operation with the freight companies and
transport services to reduce the price, improve product handling operations and reduce the
time taken for transportation in order to preserve the quality of the produce during transit, and
at a reasonable costs is needed.

4.4 System efficiency

There are opportunities for reducing costs and increasing efficiencies in the market if value
chain stakeholders – large and small – work together. Buyers want to buy products of the
highest possible quality at the lowest possible price; they want quick and flexible responses to
their orders and short delivery times. In order to achieve these market requirements all
opportunities for increasing system efficiency need to be explored – and this requires
cooperation and coordination of activities amongst value chain stakeholders.

20
The tomato value chain in Mafraq sees very little cooperation - whether horizontally or
vertically – and there is no formal mechanism for promoting the interests of the sector or
cooperation. The sector could benefit a lot from cooperation between farmers and along the
value chain between sellers, buyers and service providers. There seem to be many shared
problems which could be overcome by helping the producers in getting better organised. This
could for example be in a business association that takes responsibility, for example, for quality
certification of inputs, certification of producers, market access and advocacy for support from
government when needed.

There is reportedly a lack of trust between farmers and government institutions. Stakeholders
are missing a government role in protecting and helping the sector, whether on the level of
the sustainability of export operations, which need planning and political stability, or
concerning taxes that negatively affect the stakeholders in all stages of the value chain. This can
be mended though promoting dialogue where stakeholders articulate their difficulties and
work with the local government on how to resolve issues, with the joint goal of stimulating
economic growth and job creation. However, there is also a lack of initiative from the
entrepreneurs to look for solutions for the sector whether through creating coordination
mechanisms or through developing the product. Stakeholders would of course also need to
understand and appreciate the importance of getting involved and cooperating to address joint
issues.

4.5 The supporting factors

Supporting factors include the widest range of institutions, structures and establishments, such
as governmental organizations, the private sector and civil society organizations that somehow
can be considered a support or service provider for the sector. The supporting factors include
infrastructure, information and data, training and expertise, research, development and
coordination

Infrastructure: the need for rehabilitation of the agriculture roads is one of the most pressing
factors concerning production operations, and would contribute to avoiding the damage of the
products. Electricity is available but the contracting company adopts rigid rules regarding
money collection and the price is a heavy burden on both growers and business owners.

Coordination: The research findings indicated that there is very little collaboration and
coordination from the side of potentially supporting institutions.

Data and Research: There are research centres (such as the National Centre for Agriculture
Research) but they are reportedly lacking resources. The lack of human resources and the
limited budget, results in poor research work and very weak mechanisms for sharing the

21
research results and applying them on the ground. Some data is available, but the tendency is
that it is either not accurate or not published and shared with the public. On a positive note, it
should be mentioned that the National Centre lately contributed to addressing the diseases
that affected tomatoes, especially the Tuta Absoluta which is considered a destructive
infection. The interventions of the researchers in the centre contributed to a large extent to
eradicating this disease.

Training: Some public departments such as the Department of Agriculture, governmental

programmes such as IRADA and the National Centre of Agriculture Research, as well as NGOs,
conduct various technical and managerial trainings. However, most of these trainings are not
associated with any field work, which is huge problem as this is exactly what the farmers need,
field based training. This could be done by agriculture engineers and extension officers from
governmental departments, except for the scarce numbers of agriculture engineers and their
transportation budget that’s reportedly too restricted, for them to operate effectively in the
field. So growers are hardly receiving any services and support, and growers in remote areas
are particularly negatively affected.

4.6 Enabling Environment

Any economic sector is influenced by a number of factors that go beyond direct production
related activities, such as the rules and regulations governing the geographical and sectoral
area, including informal rules and social values.

Rules and regulations: Value chains do not exist in isolation but they are embedded into a
highly complex social, economic, political and cultural environment, which determines the
nature and success of business transactions within the chain (e.g. investments or business start-
ups). The business environment can be seen as consisting of an immediate environment in
which enterprises are part of markets in which they use various resources and markets in order
to produce products and services. The market in turn is influenced by regulations, institutions
and interventions that immediately affect a particular sector (such as labour regulations).

Laws and standards: Despite the existence of national standards and regulations for
agricultural production, these are not enforced and hence not effective. Information of
standards etc. are also not disseminated to the growers.

Growers also find that the level of taxes are too high.

Many growers talked about the control and monopoly-like influence that few larger farmers
have on the dynamics of the sector. It was assessed to be due to their connections with the

22
government which served only a few large farmers. This structure may marginalize smaller
farmers and put them in a more disadvantaged position.

Concerning the laws and regulations, growers and entrepreneurs find that many of the laws in
the sector are unclear and ambiguous which leads to discretionary interpretation of the rules
and laws. Moreover, entrepreneurs and farmers are not involved and have no say in policy
making and other legislative activities that affect their businesses.

Hence, there is a need to disseminate clear guidance on standards, laws and regulations that
affect the operations of farmers and entrepreneurs in the tomato sector.

Social & environmental standards: Consumers are becoming increasingly aware of social and
environmental standards and are increasingly demanding products that fulfil these
requirements. Retail and multinational companies are feeling pressure from consumer
organizations, media, governments and NGOs to improve social standards in their supply/retail
chains and to minimize environmental impact. The ILO’s International Labour Standards are
playing an increasingly important role and are being included in codes of conduct of private
sector CSR initiatives. Here again, it is more than a matter of doing business in a socially
responsible way: it is in the commercial interests of companies to react to this consumer
demand. Ensuring good social and environmental standards also means being able to trace
products and services all the way back to their origin. This requires that businesses along the
value chain cooperate.

Across the tomato value chain in Mafraq there is however very little knowledge of social and
environmental standards, which will prove to be very decisive in endeavours to reach
international costumers. Therefore, efforts are needed to sensitise growers and other value
chain stakeholders to the importance of respecting decent standards across the value chain,
and for all stakeholders to agree on doing so, as any weak links can prove detrimental for all the
farmers and businesses in the sector.

4.7 Decent Work in the tomato value chain and gender

Growers in the tomato sector employ workers mainly from Egypt and Syria. These workers
need permits from the Department of Labour. There does however, despite their legitimacy,
seem to be a decent work deficit for the farm workers: regulations for health and professional
security are mostly not enforced. Pay could be unfair in comparison to the daily number of
working hours. In addition, fields are usually not equipped with restrooms for workers. Growers
also would not mind employing minor children if those were able to perform the required work.
Moreover, there are no criteria to respect gender differences in employing and choosing

23
adequate jobs for women. Finally, the inspectors of the Department of Labour do not seem to
be performing the needed effort for the enforcement of these criteria.

The number of Jordanian males working in Agriculture is negligible, and the number of females,
mostly working as temporary daily pickers, is marginal. It is estimated that 50,000 Syrian
refugees are working illegally (without working permits) in the Northern Governorates. The
Ministry of Labour does not have a capacity to control the illegal workers from the refugee
camps. Workers caught working without permits are returned to the camps or deported. There
is reportedly also child labour, and there are no measures to safeguard occupational health and
safety.

***

In summary, the findings from the data collection and analysis of the identified issues can be
grouped into the following intervention areas:

1. Improve inputs in terms of quality and price

2. Develop new products and increase production with technological upgrading

3. Market development

4. Improve efficiency of value chain

5. Improve support structures and services for the sector

6. Improve the enabling environment

These are described in details with proposals for action in the intervention matrix in the next
section.

24
 5. Intervention matrix
Based on the findings, intervention areas have been identified. Together with stakeholders from the sector, the core team has
formulated intervention proposals and activities, which it believes will improve the conditions in the tomato value chain, create
more income and pro-poor growth and hopefully make the sector more competitive. These are presented in the intervention matrix.
Not surprisingly, there are topics that are overlapping between the categories but they are still presented in each intervention area
to have the complete picture group by group.

The Department of Agriculture has been appointed as main partner by the governorate. It is however recommended that a task
force and a larger group of partners become involved as ‘responsible partners’ (therefore the column is left blank until stakeholders
have gone through this process and decided).

Constraints and Interventions Activities Respon- Expected

opportunities sible outcomes
partner
Intervention area 1: Improve inputs in terms of quality and price
Poor quality inputs Ensure quality control of Establish a central nursery and Improved
inputs, especially for fertilizers experimental fields competitiveness
and pesticides. due to cheaper
Support the governmental nursery to inputs and
produce special seedlings for ability to
greenhouses produce better
quality products
Establish nurseries that sell plants for
farmers at a reasonable price
Rising prices for inputs Establishment of agri-banks Explore options and find out who can
for agricultural supplies (not provide support with agricultural
funds) supplies

23
High prices for pumping Support of renewable energy Promotion campaign
water and irrigation systems to farms
Disseminate information about
Facilitate access to financing financing and other support options

Introduce water conserving Make a water conservation campaign

growing methods (e.g. drip Create demonstration model
irrigation)
Poor quality or wrong types Ensure correctly labelled Establish nurseries that sell plants for
of seedlings seedlings and provision of farmers at a reasonable price as a
appropriate varieties of business development service,
tomato, including those for preferably private sector-led or
green houses through a business association,
farmers association or a cooperative.

Intervention area 2: Develop new products and increase production with technological upgrading
Growers meet obstacles Bottleneck concerning hiring Assess whether migrant labour is a Higher yield,
when endeavouring to get of labour should be resolved threat to jobs for local and if better better ability to
permits for migrant labour (possibly in conjunction with conditions for farm workers would meet new
component 3 and the Local attract more unemployed Jordanians market
Employment Council) to work on farms demands, more
Business opportunities in Examine jobs and livelihood Prepare a catalogue of opportunities business
higher value added activities opportunities in higher value opportunities,
adding activities Make demonstration training and better and
projects for new products such as more
Explore cottage industry sundried tomatoes and cottage competitive
market and income industry style production of paste and products

24
 opportunities (as a part of a juices.
large market study, see later
section) Introduce new methods of packaging

High unmet demand for Need for technological Use of proper varieties that are
tomatoes upgrading and introduction of appropriate for the area and are
higher yielding methods marketable locally and internationally.
This must be clearly identified as
produced for fresh or processing
markets.

Controlled use of pesticides and

fertilizers permitted internationally.

Use of modern agricultural

technologies required by GlobalGAP
and accepted by importing countries.

Training farmers on application of

modern agricultural techniques
covering the range from planting, to
proper harvesting and/or processing,
GAP etc. in order to maintain high
quality production that meets the
national and international
specifications.
Transfer of advanced Continuous consultation and co-

25
technology in the areas of ordination with the buyers, importers,
picking, grading, cooling, and the parties involved in order to
storage, packaging, stay informed about the pre-set
processing, and transporting. conditions, specifications, and
standards that precede the
preparation processes for marketing
locally and for export marketing.

Awareness of need for investment in

picking, grading, packaging, cold
storage, and equipment needed to
ensure proper handling of products
and preserving its quality during its
stay in the storage.

Training technical staff that are able

to prepare the product within the
required specifications, efficiency, and
at minimum costs.

Providing the paste factories with the

high quality raw materials required to
maintain a high quality product at
every stage until it reaches the
consumer.

Maintain highest sanitation conditions

26
 inside and outside the Packaging
Centres, Paste Factories, and Sun
Drying Sites through installing
appropriate systems and training
specialized staff.

Installing proper systems and

following appropriate measures and
practices to insure fulfilling all
production and value adding
requirements.

Acquiring certificates and licenses that

attest to the conformity of the
products and the production practices
to the requirements.

Focus on one traditional Increasing income and Make pilot models on new varieties
variety of tomato reaching new markets, (e.g. cherry tomatoes), for
through product demonstration and documented for
differentiation to be explored training and research.

Introduce new varieties and Make pilots on new products (e.g.

production methods sundried tomatoes), demonstrated
and documented for training and
research.

27
 Make pilots on new production
methods (e.g. organic tomatoes,
hanging plants), demonstrated and
documented for practical training and
research.

Gauge interest of farmers and offer

training if desired
No use of green houses and Introduce greenhouse Make demonstration model
other more modern technology to increase yield
technologies and method and prolong season Conduct awareness campaign about
for growing tomatoes advantages of growing tomatoes in
Introduce new crops planting greenhouses and use the hanging
methods (hanging plants) plants method

Little quality control and Introduce better quality Activating quality assurance systems
poor enforcement control in agricultural production

Create awareness of Conduct training and awareness

advantages of being certified campaigns about quality certificates
(GAP/HACCP/ISO) and advantages of
having these, such as meeting
requirements of international buyers
Intervention area 3: Market development
Little knowledge of market Preparing a market study and Conduct marketing study Access to new
opportunities marketing plan to serve both markets, more
local and international Prepare joint/sector-wide marketing income and

28
 markets strategy business
opportunities
Promote understanding of
international markets requirements
and standards
Lack of market choices Activating the central market Advocate to the government for the
domestically and of Mafraq to reduce establishment of a vegetable market
dependence on dependency on traders in Mafraq
monopolistic traders
Establish marketing Create awareness of options to
cooperatives to participate in decrease dependence of a few
market management traders, how to strengthen their
bargaining position and cooperate to
have their own sales organisation,
possibly in the form of a cooperative

Reduce the negative price Establish cold storage facilities,

impact from tomato gluts by possibly through a cooperative
levelling out the supply
through usage of cold storage Create awareness on how the season
facilities and greenhouses to can be lengthened in greenhouses
prolong the season
High freight prices and slow Identify and address freight Create opportunity to discuss the
transit processes issues to make export more implications of the freight challenges
competitive on the competitiveness of the tomato
sector and how it affects all levels of
the value chain.

29
 Identify the source of the problem
and find solution
Intervention area 4: Improve efficiency of value chain
No cooperation - whether Enhance cooperation and Sensitization meeting to build Sector capacity
horizontally or vertically – exchange of information awareness on advantages of to address
between tomato growers cooperation, running a small business problems,
association and advocating for empowerment
government support of farmers

No mechanism for Create a business association Conduct training in establishing a

promoting the interests of business association
the sector
Provide assistance in starting up the
association
Poor cooperation between Create a forum for Organise regular meetings (monthly?)
stakeholders in the sector stakeholders in the sector,
both private sector and Support the chambers of commerce
government. and industry to include agriculture
and strengthen their capacity to assist
small agro businesses
Intervention area 5: Improve support structures and services for the sector
Growers and other Improve the service delivery Provision of training and information, Better support
stakeholders receive very and information provision of such as: leading to
little services, information local extension offices under Targeting farmers and households to better methods
and support the Department of Agriculture improve production methods, quality and know-how

30
 and quantity which in turn
Agricultural manufacturing training improves
Awareness on the effectiveness of products and
greenhouses agriculture business
Integrated Field Management training
Issuing brochures and information
fact sheets for climate and
environmental changes, diseases and
market needs
Encourage establishment of Awareness creation
cooperative and/or forums to
enhance coordination and Possibly support in the form of
collective work of existing technical assistance for organisational
institutes and individuals, and development
to provide services i.e.
packaging, cooling, and
marketing services to member
farmers.
Improve access to business Create awareness on
development services (in entrepreneurship training options
conjunction with component
4) Pilot entrepreneurship training for
farmers and for small-scale cottage
industry producers

Conduct information campaign about

access to technical assistance and

31
 financing

Assist relevant finance institutions and

funds in making it easy for farmers to
access loans.
Intervention area 6: Improve the enabling environment
Little government support Increase dialogue and Improve competitiveness by reducing Dialogue
and no dialogue advocacy capacity of the input prices: Advocate for lower taxes leading to
stakeholders in the value and lower prices on electricity addressing of
chain (possibly in conjunction problems,
with component one on Advocacy for solving the foreign better business
improving the overall business labour issue with the MOL and livelihoods
environment of Mafraq
Governorate) Include the agricultural unions and
cooperatives in governmental related
decision making processes.

Expanding the role of the chambers

of commerce and industry to include
agriculture and agro businesses or
create a separate business
membership organisation to advocate
for the growers’ interests
Unclear regulatory Improve regulatory framework Disseminate clear guidance on
framework and ensure that stakeholders standards, laws and regulations
understand their rights and
duties Review of laws and regulations

32
 relevant to all level of production and
quality in the Tomato sector.

Little knowledge of social Increase knowledge of social Conduct assessment to identify

and environmental and environmental standards deficits in terms of knowledge and
standards, which will prove implementation of social (incl. labour)
to be very decisive in and environmental standards
endeavours to reach
international costumers Conduct training for extension service
trainers to train farmers

Cooperate with international buyers

to understand their requirements,
possibly in the form of a buyer-seller
forum

Institutional structures for implementation needs further decision from the group of local stakeholders. Please see next and final
section for recommendations and follow-up activities.

33
 6. Recommendations and next steps
Other follow-up actions and recommendations include the following:

 The analysis of the findings and proposed solutions should be further reviewed and
revised in a verification workshop with project beneficiaries, i.e. farmers, both large and
small and other businesses operating in the tomato sector.
 Then the report should be presented to the Local Committee meeting to get comments,
feedback and inputs as soon as possible.
 The responsible partners should be more detailed and allowing for a wider group of
local organisations to implement interventions, in cooperation with Department of
Agriculture which remains the main partner. The Local Committee meeting and
verification workshop can be used for gathering inputs and securing commitment.
 The Local Committee of the governorate is overall responsible for monitoring
implementation but it is recommended that a task force is formed which will be
responsible for securing smooth implementation on a day-to-day basis. The task force
should be led by either DoA or the governor’s office and regular meetings – for example
monthly – should be held to ensure the coordination and monitoring of implementation
of sector specific activities.
 ILO and local partners already agreed on which activities will be supported by ILO for the
first period (first half of 2014). Further partnerships and sources of funding needs to be
identified.
 The intervention matrix should be seen as a living document that can be revised when
needed.
 Proper monitoring and documentation system for value chain development activities
should be established for the project. The larger ILO project ‘Local Economic
Development for enhance access to employment and livelihood opportunities for host
communities’ is expected to start in the course of 2014. A monitoring framework based
on the DCED guidelines is envisaged and the tomato value chain should be captured in
this framework.
 A gender specialist should be invited to assess possible gender dimensions of the value
chain and adjust interventions to take into account the different needs and roles of
women and men by promoting equal opportunities for both sexes.

In sum, there huge opportunities for expanding the tomato sector and use it as a vehicle for
creating income, business and livelihood opportunities. A number of issues will however
need to be tackled and it will take effort, initiative and cooperation from all stakeholders in

33
and around the value chain to succeed in addressing the constraints and taking advantage
of the opportunities offered.

***

34
Annex A: Members of the value chain team

List of Participants in Mafraq -Value Chain Exercise

Name Job Title Address

Jamal AL Sarhan Assistant of the Governor office Mafraq Governorate
Dr.Yousef Al Shriadeh Director Vocational Training Institute for the Maf
Abdel Hameed Al
Harahsheh Director Directorate of Labour in Mafraq
Odeh Al Sroor Chairman Farmers Union
Awni Al Shdeifat Director Mafraq Governorate Directorate of Agri
Hussein Al Khaldi Engineer Directorate of Agriculture Western Badi
Hazem Shdeifat Cooperatives Director of Mafraq Governorate Cooperatives Director of Mafraq Govern
Amal Al Roomi Vegetarian agricultural production engineer Mafarq Agriculture
Saif Al Sardi Engineer Research and Agriculture Extension Cen
Doaa' Dalahmeh Engineer Directorate of Agriculture-Amman
Sharif Bani Hani Engineer Diretor of Environment
Bayan Bani Hani Engineer Engineers Syndicate
Mohammad Arsalan Director Chamber of Industry-Zarqaa
Mohammad Sarhan Engineer Badia Agriculture
Jamal Sroor Badia Agriculture
Hazaa Hitheban Farmer Um AL Sarb-Mafraq
Ghaleb Al Khawaldeh Director Agricultur Fund
Sultan Mahmoud Farmer Um al Jemal-Mafraq
Ayman Abu Kishek Farmer Um al Jemal-Mafraq
Ayyob Abu Shaqoora Farmer Dafyaneh-Mafraq
Omar Abu Shaqoora Farmer Al Manara-Mafraq
Othman Abu Shaqoora Farmer Al Hamdyeh-Mafraq
Akef Al Khashman Farmer Sama Al Sarhan-Mafraq
Mohammad Shdeifat Engineer Agriculture Engineers Syndicate
Mohammad Al Saoon Chirman of association Sabha-Mafraq
Nidal Fetyan local community Mafraq
Botros Al Kawakeet Engineer National Center for Researches
Mohammad AL Omoosh Engineer National Center for Researches
Afaf Al Athamat Engineer National Center for Researches
Firas Al Harahsheh Engineer Agriculture Engineers Syndicate
Kasem Al Kataan Farmer Sabha-Mafraq
Manal Khaleel Liasion Officer Princess Basma Center for Development
Khaldoon Abu Qamo Farmer Mghayer AL Sarhan
Odeh Mohammad Farmer Zatari

35
Mohammad Farajat Farmer Mafarq
Anwar Katan Farmer Sabha-Mafraq
Yousef Abu Rabee Farmer Al Ashrafyeh
Rakan Al Katan Farmer Sabha-Mafraq
Khalaf AL Taoon Farmer Sabha-Mafraq
Faleh Al Saoon Farmer Sabha-Mafraq
Hussein Al Zawahi Farmer Sabha-Mafraq
Abdel Hadi Al Madi Agriculture Engineer Directorate of Northern Agricuture Badi
Sami Abu Dijleh Farmer Sabha-Mafraq
Ibraheem Abu Saleh Farmer Mafraq

36
Annex B: Institutional mapping

VC player/ institution Their role? Support to the tomato

value chain?
Ministry of Labour Work permits to foreign Lower cost of labour.
labour.
Governorate of Irbid Liaison between producers Facilitate farmers obtaining
and Central Government. permits and legalization.
Ministry of Agriculture Technical and statistical help Improve production and
to producers. techniques.
Universities & Research Improve production Alleviate low productivity,
Centres, Extension Services. techniques and new improve excellence.
varieties.
Ministry of Trade and Facilitating marketing & Help producers and
Industry exports of Agricultural exporters market and export
products. Bilateral their products freely.
agreements.
Farmers Union, Exporter’s Organize farmers, Boost production and
Associations processors, and exporters. exports.
Act as a platform for
negotiations amongst all.
Ministry of Transportation Help in providing logistical Boosts and facilitates
solutions and organize exports.
transporters.

Employers representatives:

 Jordanian Chamber of Industry, Amman – Has recently established a SMEs Directorate

and will launch support programmes. They also have a SME department in Irbid. The
Chamber expressed strong willingness to cooperate and preparedness to engage by
means of its local affiliates across the country (in this case relevant only for Irbid and
Mafraq). One issue emphasized was the fact that entrepreneurs generally come to them
only to get loans but not other services and training, reportedly because availability of
such services is limited.
 Jordanian Chamber of Commerce, Irbid – Adequate infrastructure, capacity and
willingness to assist entrepreneurs and engage in creating an enabling environment.
They have established a One-Stop-Shop with representation of a number of
Government agencies to assist enterprises in handling government procedures.

Governmental entities:

37
  The Directorate of Labour in the two Governorates – key members of the Local
Committee and willing to cooperate.
 The Vocational Training Corporation (VTC) – In charge of vocational training in both Irbid
and Mafraq. Training offered is demand driven and often done in cooperation with
employers. Should be linked to possible intervention in employment services. They offer
training in OSH. Has the structure and interest in cooperation on offering various
trainings that would have to be delivered under the project, including tailor-made short-
term trainings.
 IRADA – A government programme offering advisory services for business start-up and
finance. A close partner of the project under the entrepreneurship component.
 The Development and Employment Fund – advisory services and financing
 The Local Committees in the two Governorates will play a key role as each of them
comprises members, representing local stakeholders (Private sector, civil society
organisations and government –). The Committees expressed that it had seen many
visits from international organisations but not seen any assistance yet, which
underscores the importance of delivering meaningful assistance rapidly. The
Committees are mandated under the Ministry of Interior, which is also represented in
the Committees. The proposed work of the current project, especially component 3,
was received very well by the Ministry and it is important to keep them in the loop
concerning the work with the LCs.
 There are 48 professional associations in Jordan – however few are represented in the
Northern governorates.

Workers representatives:

 The Confederation of Trade Unions in Jordan – supportive of the project and willing to
cooperate. Unfortunately not present (yet?) at governorate level.

***

38
Annex C: Glance on Sun Dried Tomatoes Global Production

Italy is the main global supplier of sun-dried tomatoes, with 76% of global supply, followed by
Greece with 11% of global supply. The main suppliers in the MENA region for sun-dried
tomatoes are Israel, Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia, and Lebanon; Israel produces 9,597 Tons of sun-
dried tomatoes.

The main global importer for sun-dried tomatoes is Europe with 50% of global demand. The
main importers in the MENA region is the Gulf region importing 25,562 tons of sun-dried
tomatoes, followed by Morocco with 714 tons, Lebanon 365 Tons, and Egypt 339 tons of sun-
dried tomatoes.5

Jordan’s local production of sun-dried tomatoes in 2010 was only 185 tons, compared to an
imported 281 tons of sun-dried tomatoes in the same year.

Data compiled from various sources:

Source for Exports and Imports: UN Com-Trade Database
Source for Local consumption: Department of Statistics

This means that Jordan is standing humbly in the production of sun-dried tomatoes; whilst
there is strong demand for the product in the Gulf and in Europe.

***

5 UN Com-Trade Data Base for Global demand on importing and exporting sun-dried tomatoes.

39
Annex D: Glance on Tomato Paste Global Production

China is considered the main global supplier for tomato paste with 33% of global supply,
followed by Italy with 23%. The main suppliers of tomatoes paste in the MENA region is Turkey
with 102,886 Tons followed by Iran with 37,969 Tons of tomato paste in export.

Tomato paste global demand rests 64% on other countries, leaving 24% for Europe, 7% Russia,
and 5 % Japan.

Jordan’s local production of tomato paste in 2010 was 12,465 tons, compared to imports in the
same year of 7,614 tons of tomato paste. Jordan exports 35% of tomato paste to Palestine, 26%
to Saudi Arabia and 17% to Lebanon. Jordan imports 60% of tomato paste from China followed
by 26% from Syria.

Data compiled from various sources:

Source for Exports and Imports: UN Com-Trade Database
Source for Local consumption: Department of Statistics

***

40