Environment officials warn against use of untreated organic fertilisers
Jordan Times
Jul. 6, 2007
BYLINE: Mohammad Ghazal and Hana Namrouqa
AMMAN -- The Ministry of Environment has called on Jordan Valley farmers to stop using untreated organic fertilisers, which attract domestic flies, a nuisance for picnickers and harmful to the environment.
Describing the use of these fertilisers as a "big problem," Minister of Environment Khalid Irani told The Jordan Times that due to the wrong practice, summer in this relatively hot area becomes unbearable, let alone the health hazards it poses to residents and visitors.
"The area is plagued by swarms of flies, which make it impossible even to enjoy a cup of tea," he added.
Besides causing such inconvenience, farmers are missing the advantages of using certified organic fertilisers, which would save them "30-40 per cent of irrigation water, reduce the use of pesticides and curb the spread of domestic flies by 75 per cent," Irani said.
This defeats farmers' perception of the material they use now, according to the minister, who stressed that untreated organic fertilisers "are not nourishing to the plant and they consume too much water to release their nutrients."
"For example, the benefit a plant gets from a quarter tonne of treated organic fertiliser equals that of a whole tonne of the untreated form. This is because the latter takes a prolonged period and large quantities of water to dissolve the nutrients," Irani said.
Jamal Masalha, a farmer from the area, confirmed that he and his peers use unprocessed organic fertilisers because they believe they are cost effective and more useful.
"I used to apply treated fertilisers to avoid the spread of the flies but I later stopped and started using untreated organic fertilisers because it is better for the plants," said Masalha.
Apart from the efforts to change farmers' perceptions, including an awareness campaign, the ministry is encouraging other steps to address the problem.
Irani noted that a factory in Deir Alla in the central Jordan Valley has started operating recently to treat organic fertilisers. The factory produces some 100,000 tonnes of treated fertilisers annually, which would help curb the problem, he said.
Jordan Valley Authority Secretary General Musa Jamaini described the problem of domestic flies as "chronic", saying that farmers had tried many methods to get rid of the flies, other than stopping the application of the harmful fertilisers, but nothing worked.
The official said there was no way out but to end the practice, as a first step.
Other plants to process untreated fertilisers would help to end the problem, he said.
Jamaini explained that flies are attracted to organic fertilisers because they contain a high percentage of humidity, while the sterilised fertilisers do not attract flies, simply because they are dry.