JORDANTV — Major Newscast
20260920 120000 UTC
438 transcript segments
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[00:00:00] Moving forward with these markets or packaging necessary and
[00:00:03] important opportunities, which will ultimately
[00:00:06] enable the governorate to launch into
[00:00:09] a sustainable development process
[00:00:11] six months. When dates and the necessary regional situation is a difficult
[00:00:14] situation. The crises around
[00:00:17] us are by no means easy.
[00:00:20] They affect the region and they affect
[00:00:23] the world. And the crisis that we are witnessing
[00:00:26] today may last for
[00:00:30] months, it may last for years,
[00:00:32] we don't know.
[00:00:36] process, we have the thinning But as His Majesty taught us
[00:00:39] and as he always guided us,
[00:00:42] when things are difficult around
[00:00:45] us, our determination, our effort, and
[00:00:49] our resolve become stronger. This
[00:00:51] government is working
[00:00:54] to build the machinery
[00:00:59] and clarity. At locally. And the economy so that we can
[00:01:02] be able to face such regional
[00:01:05] crises and challenges
[00:01:06] in the Karamah region. even if they
[00:01:10] our appointment every evening at last, so all our determination and all our effort today
[00:01:14] is focused
[00:01:16] and economic news. At on building the economy and on improving services and on
[00:01:20] enabling citizens to find the necessary income opportunities. This
[00:01:23] is the first priority and nothing else is above that, thank
[00:01:27] God. Under the leadership
[00:01:30] of His Majesty, with his directives, and with the strength
[00:01:34] of our army and our security institutions, we can
[00:01:37] now focus completely on
[00:01:40] building our economy in all its details, and with
[00:01:44] a strategic vision defined by the Economic
[00:01:48] Modernization Vision. And we are working
[00:01:52] in all details to apply and implement this
[00:01:55] vision and according to the High Royal Decree for this government,
[00:01:59] Ma'an. We started
[00:02:00] by putting
[00:02:03] incentives for the development
[00:02:07] the palm's needs and know zone. Land prices decreased
[00:02:11] us from the farms by 50%. Electricity we reduced it by about
[00:02:14] 75% for the first
[00:02:18] without overusing water. two years. The incentives provided for operational purposes
[00:02:21] we also provided great incentives. There
[00:02:25] has been some new interest in this region
[00:02:28] the packing and I think. It will gradually increase
[00:02:31] during the year 2027. A necessary
[00:02:34] start, but the most important
[00:02:38] cooling and disinfection thing is when
[00:02:41] stage, we ensure we launch the Aqaba
[00:02:44] is low, Ma'an dry port. This is the necessary cornerstone
[00:02:47] for building the economy of
[00:02:49] Ma'an. Today, Aqaba
[00:02:53] has many priorities in tourism, transportation,
[00:02:57] and ports. Railway transportation.
[00:03:01] palm farms and cause God willing, soon the foundation stone
[00:03:05] will be laid for the Aqaba
[00:03:08] Al-Shidiya Ma'an railway line
[00:03:11] because the railway line that reaches Ma'an will be
[00:03:15] a cornerstone for the Ma'an dry port.
[00:03:18] So linking Aqaba with industries in Ma'an,
[00:03:22] with railways in Ma'an, and its logistics,
[00:03:26] such as potassium and transporting all matters that can be transported to Ma'an
[00:03:28] logistically as well. Including customs,
[00:03:32] a fundamental issue that will achieve
[00:03:35] for us an integrated component
[00:03:37] for the Ma'an dry port
[00:03:39] flavor that differs and the Ma'an development zone. In addition
[00:03:42] to that, we have now begun studying
[00:03:45] the link from Karamah
[00:03:48] Safawi Azraq
[00:03:51] Al-Jafr Ma'an dry port to
[00:03:54] is divided into two parts. link Ma'an directly and better
[00:03:58] and more efficiently with Iraq. This
[00:04:01] is the picture that must be completed during 2027
[00:04:05] and put into implementation. So in
[00:04:08] 2027, bids will be
[00:04:11] launched for this integrated picture
[00:04:15] so that we can implement it during the coming years, and
[00:04:19] we talk about the importance God willing, everything will be ready on the ground, including the railways,
[00:04:22] in 2030. This is the vision that
[00:04:25] I firmly believe will achieve
[00:04:28] a necessary level of development for this
[00:04:32] governorate. It is true that there are many
[00:04:35] service needs, and we are working
[00:04:38] early detection of this on them. I visited many schools in Ma'an and improved some of them,
[00:04:41] and we will continue to improve others.
[00:04:44] I thank you for this important partnership and for
[00:04:48] your cooperation, and God willing,
[00:04:51] export, this cooperation will increase in the coming period because
[00:04:54] the projects we are undertaking truly require
[00:04:58] us to work hand in hand because
[00:05:00] these projects will be historic, important,
[00:05:03] and essential if we want to move
[00:05:06] to a different stage of
[00:05:08] work
[00:05:10] meters below sea level. and development in this
[00:05:51] eighth speed, where we bring the picture closer
[00:05:54] and reveal
[00:05:58] the details. At eight o'clock,
[00:05:59] we monitor,
[00:06:03] follow up, and analyze in depth
[00:07:59] Hello and welcome, dear viewers, to this
[00:08:02] new episode of the Al-Khair Land program. As usual, we start with the
[00:08:06] Central Market news and the quantities of vegetables and fruits
[00:08:09] during the past week. Then we will be with you through this
[00:08:12] episode dedicated to discussing palm
[00:08:15] cultivation and the most important types and varieties of palm fruits
[00:08:19] and how to combat the palm weevil.
[00:08:22] Follow us through today's episode of Al-Khair Land.
[00:08:54] There are multiple types and varieties of
[00:08:58] palm fruits, and they differ from one variety to another in terms
[00:09:02] of growth stages and production, and are greatly
[00:09:05] affected by high temperatures and optimal humidity to reach the
[00:09:09] ripening stage.
[00:09:22] In the past ten years, we have had a very
[00:09:26] big qualitative leap in the development
[00:09:29] of palm cultivation in Jordan in general.
[00:09:32] We have the موجود Barhi date palm
[00:09:35] and the Majhoul
[00:09:38] and Khalas and Dehri. However, from an economic
[00:09:43] perspective and the global economic situation,
[00:09:46] the trend and interest in cultivating Majhoul is more
[00:09:48] economically viable. Now, the date
[00:09:52] palm tree in its natural state loves high
[00:09:55] temperatures and strong sunlight. Thankfully, God has blessed
[00:09:59] us with the Jordanian Jordan Valley region with
[00:10:02] a global advantage that is not found anywhere else in the world,
[00:10:06] which is the Jordanian Jordan Valley region
[00:10:09] throughout the year. The Jordanian Jordan Valley,
[00:10:12] praise be to God, is a region at an elevation. We are
[00:10:16] currently in the Karamah region. We are currently at an
[00:10:19] elevation of 255
[00:10:23] This increases the atmospheric pressure in the region
[00:10:26] and increases the oxygen level. This increase,
[00:10:30] in turn, improves
[00:10:33] the quality of the fruits and helps
[00:10:36] the Jordanian date to acquire
[00:10:39] its distinctive creamy taste. Also,
[00:10:43] as you can see, the flesh ratio inside the fruits is
[00:10:46] high. This all gave
[00:10:49] the Jordanian product a global competitive
[00:10:51] advantage and allowed it to secure its
[00:10:55] position and improve its position in global markets. Thank
[00:10:59] God, Jordanian dates
[00:11:01] are now among the most famous dates in the world.
[00:11:09] Date palm trees require many important
[00:11:12] agricultural operations in terms of pruning,
[00:11:16] irrigation water, and the correct use of
[00:11:19] pesticides and fertilizers.
[00:11:26] As for the soil, the soil in the Jordan
[00:11:29] Valley region is considered relatively suitable for
[00:11:33] palm cultivation. Some of the challenges regarding the soil
[00:11:36] are the high salinity level, but thank God,
[00:11:39] within a comprehensive fertilization
[00:11:42] program for the plants, we can overcome this
[00:11:46] observation. As for planting distances,
[00:11:50] for example, Barhi is planted at distances of 9 meters by 9 meters,
[00:11:53] and Medjool at 8 by
[00:11:55] 8. The planting distances are based on
[00:11:59] how much space this plant needs around it to expand and to
[00:12:03] receive adequate light and then
[00:12:06] produce
[00:12:09] high-quality fruit. Now, regarding irrigation for date
[00:12:13] palms, the date palm tree is naturally
[00:12:16] a desert tree that is tolerant to drought and low water
[00:12:20] levels. We need to know the palm's
[00:12:22] water
[00:12:25] requirements because we don't want to waste
[00:12:28] water. Today, when we understand
[00:12:32] the appropriate timing for irrigation and the amount of water
[00:12:36] to apply, we will be, God willing, in the middle, as they say,
[00:12:39] and we will give the tree its needs
[00:12:43] The same applies to fertilizers and
[00:12:46] nutrition for date palms. Today, modern agriculture is based on analysis
[00:12:50] and data. When we analyze the soil and water,
[00:12:53] we know what our needs are and we understand
[00:12:57] how many fertilizer units the palm needs.
[00:13:01] Based on that, we can determine what
[00:13:04] to fertilize and what to give within logical and correct
[00:13:08] needs, and our food will always be safe and healthy,
[00:13:11] and there will be sustainability
[00:13:18] in this agriculture. The palm weevil is one
[00:13:21] of the most dangerous insect pests that affect
[00:13:26] economic damage and losses to farmers if
[00:13:29] it spreads widely.
[00:13:36] The red palm weevil is one of the most common
[00:13:39] infestations on palm trees in general, and it is
[00:13:42] one of the most dangerous. Its danger lies in
[00:13:46] your inability to diagnose or detect it early
[00:13:49] because, frankly, controlling
[00:13:52] the red palm weevil requires regular
[00:13:55] inspection of trees
[00:13:58] and continuous field surveys on the ground to
[00:14:02] notice any unusual changes on the trees. Now,
[00:14:05] regarding the weevil infestation, it is present
[00:14:09] and, God forbid, if one does not pay attention
[00:14:13] to it and does not give it enough importance, it can threaten
[00:14:16] palm cultivation in any region. Now, we deal with it
[00:14:20] through insect traps that warn us and give
[00:14:24] us an indication of how widespread the infestation is or not, and
[00:14:26] after that, we can intervene to use some
[00:14:30] medications to treat it and get rid of it. But
[00:14:34] the correct way to manage the red
[00:14:37] palm weevil is to monitor
[00:14:40] and regularly inspect the trees and detect
[00:14:43] the infestation early. The sooner you detect the infestation,
[00:14:47] the better you can treat it and control the problem,
[00:14:50] unlike when you discover it late. Sometimes,
[00:14:54] some palm trees don't show any visible signs of it,
[00:14:57] and then suddenly the palm tree falls to the ground. So
[00:15:03] issue is very important. Of course, palm cultivation starts
[00:15:05] with planting seedlings. We take seedlings from
[00:15:08] trees or tissue
[00:15:10] culture seedlings,
[00:15:13] and they are planted in permanent
[00:15:17] soil. These seedlings undergo
[00:15:21] a comprehensive fertilization, irrigation, and
[00:15:23] nutrition program, designed as we said, based on the needs
[00:15:27] of the trees and the nature of the soil and climate we are
[00:15:30] in. Of course, this care continues for
[00:15:34] the first five years. After that, the date
[00:15:37] palm or Medjool date reaches the production stage
[00:15:41] after five years, and the official economic production is expected
[00:15:45] after the seventh year. Now, our care for the date palm
[00:15:48] trees or the practices we carry out on the date palms
[00:15:52] begin with us from the beginning of the season, around February,
[00:15:55] when temperatures rise. The flower stalks start
[00:15:58] to appear, and we pollinate these flower stalks. After
[00:16:02] the pollination process, of course, before that,
[00:16:05] we would have carried
[00:16:08] out the pruning or thinning process, then pollination. After the pollination
[00:16:13] of fruits. After the thinning process, we reach the stage of
[00:16:17] bending and tying the fruit stalks,
[00:16:20] and after that, the covering stage. Finally,
[00:16:24] during these days, we are hopefully waiting for the harvest
[00:16:27] of the Medjool date fruit at this time of year.
[00:16:30] Today's date is September 15th.
[00:16:33] Today, we can say that we have officially
[00:16:37] started harvesting Medjool dates in the Jordanian
[00:16:41] Jordan Valley, specifically
[00:16:44] Now, from my personal experience, we have conducted
[00:16:47] several experiments over the past years
[00:16:51] inside our farms. The goal of these experiments
[00:16:54] was to reach the optimal agricultural practices
[00:16:57] for managing and caring for date palms.
[00:17:01] Also, from this work, we published
[00:17:04] the Jordanian Medjool Date Palm Cultivation
[00:17:07] Guide, and its first edition was published
[00:17:10] this year at the Date Palm Festival.
[00:17:14] And the credit for developing date palm
[00:17:17] cultivation and its development in Jordan goes to
[00:17:21] the experienced Jordanian farmer, to agricultural
[00:17:25] engineers, and to the Jordanian Date Association.
[00:17:28] And we must not forget the role of the Ministry
[00:17:31] of Agriculture always in
[00:17:35] research and guidance. They also led a campaign
[00:17:39] to combat the red palm weevil. Of course, all
[00:17:42] of us, the farmers, the associations,
[00:17:45] and the ministry, all of us follow
[00:17:48] the directives of His Majesty always in the palm
[00:17:51] sector and the agriculture sector in general. What distinguishes
[00:17:54] Jordanian dates is their high quality,
[00:17:58] as well as their distinctive dark color,
[00:18:01] and also this fibrous texture,
[00:18:05] or let's say, the soft, smooth,
[00:18:08] toffee-like texture. This is also
[00:18:11] a characteristic of ripeness in this geographical region
[00:18:14] we are in. Subhan Allah, I told you earlier,
[00:18:18] when the pressure
[00:18:22] we have an increased oxygen percentage. What
[00:18:38] does this do to the date fruits? It makes them ripen slowly,
[00:18:41] as we say, we cook them on a low
[00:18:45] fire. So, they are cooked on a low
[00:18:49] fire, taking their time to ripen until
[00:18:52] they reach full ripeness. This
[00:18:56] enhances the flavor, the homogeneity
[00:18:59] of sugar and mineral distribution
[00:19:03] and calcium. Potassium and calcium
[00:19:06] are evenly distributed inside the fruit. So when
[00:19:09] you taste the Jordanian Medjool, you will taste
[00:19:13] a unique and distinct
[00:19:17] from all other Medjool grown in regions or
[00:19:19] countries that are grown
[00:19:22] at higher elevations
[00:19:26] above sea level. The date
[00:19:29] production process
[00:19:32] The first part is to obtain high-quality
[00:19:35] products from the farm
[00:19:38] through field operations and proper
[00:19:41] management of the agricultural process. The second
[00:19:45] important part is to ensure
[00:19:49] that the products reach the end consumer
[00:19:52] with the same quality. Here,
[00:19:57] of investing in technology in
[00:20:00] sorting, packing,
[00:20:04] packaging, and preparing the product for the local
[00:20:07] and export markets. The date
[00:20:10] sector, especially Medjool date production,
[00:20:14] has witnessed a qualitative leap in the last
[00:20:17] ten years in terms of using technology
[00:20:20] and modern machines in sorting
[00:20:24] and packaging. Today, we have many facilities
[00:20:28] in the country that use modern
[00:20:31] machines with the latest global technologies
[00:20:35] for sorting, packaging, and
[00:20:39] packing. In terms of quality, today, when
[00:20:43] you use and utilize technology,
[00:20:45] you ensure that the product is
[00:20:49] consistent and of high quality. Today,
[00:20:52] the traditional sorting that we used to do
[00:20:56] in the past relied on labor,
[00:20:59] and there was always room for error and a lot
[00:21:03] of manual handling of the date,
[00:21:07] which negatively affected its quality.
[00:21:10] When we use modern technology,
[00:21:14] first, we produce large quantities,
[00:21:16] so we reduce the time between
[00:21:20] harvesting and final packaging.
[00:21:24] And we produce quantities with
[00:21:27] consistent standards, so
[00:21:30] when we can target foreign importers,
[00:21:33] we can export them goods
[00:21:36] that are consistent and have similar
[00:21:39] characteristics and are able to
[00:21:42] compete in global markets. Today,
[00:21:45] through modern sorting and packaging machines,
[00:21:48] these machines employ artificial
[00:21:52] intelligence to recognize the internal
[00:21:56] and external characteristics of the date.
[00:21:59] That is, the machines scan the date
[00:22:03] and perform an internal scan to detect
[00:22:06] any internal damage or defects
[00:22:10] and output it as a damaged
[00:22:13] date. They can also understand
[00:22:17] the date's moisture content through artificial
[00:22:20] intelligence, so they can sort
[00:22:24] it by moisture content. They also
[00:22:27] look at the external characteristics of the
[00:22:31] date, such as color, peeling,
[00:22:34] and date size. That's why we reach
[00:22:38] a final product that we are
[00:22:41] confident meets the customer's
[00:22:44] requirements wherever the customer is,
[00:22:47] and no matter how complex the requirements
[00:22:50] are. The first step is that the dates
[00:22:53] come to us from the harvest
[00:22:56] period. The dates come to
[00:23:01] to the packing house. The first
[00:23:05] stage is to blow them outside so that
[00:23:08] any impurities, dust,
[00:23:11] and dirt are removed from the dates
[00:23:15] before they enter
[00:23:18] house itself.
[00:23:21] The second stage is that they
[00:23:25] enter the primary
[00:23:28] stage. In this
[00:23:31] that the temperature of the dates decreases
[00:23:34] gradually and that we do not shock
[00:23:38] the date by placing it in a very
[00:23:42] cold environment, as this could
[00:23:45] affect its characteristics. The third
[00:23:48] stage is manual sorting, where female
[00:23:51] and male workers in the date sector
[00:23:55] who work with us remove any dates
[00:23:59] that are too soft or damaged before
[00:24:02] the automatic sorting stage. After
[00:24:05] that, the dates enter a gradual
[00:24:08] cooling stage before entering the automatic
[00:24:12] sorting. In the next stage, the quantities
[00:24:15] of dates enter the automatic sorting. As we
[00:24:19] mentioned, it sorts them by moisture,
[00:24:23] by any internal defects that are not
[00:24:27] visible to the naked eye, and by
[00:24:30] size and color. And they are sorted
[00:24:34] into different varieties, and the machines
[00:24:37] themselves pack and package
[00:24:41] them, and they are ready for the local
[00:24:44] market and for export. One of the most important
[00:24:48] criteria we look at is the moisture
[00:24:52] content of the date. There is an ideal
[00:24:55] moisture content for the date that makes
[00:24:58] it palatable. So, when we receive
[00:25:02] dates from the producer, we receive dry
[00:25:05] dates and dates with high moisture
[00:25:09] content, which we call wet dates.
[00:25:12] The date with high moisture
[00:25:15] content has the same
[00:25:18] nutritional properties as regular dates,
[00:25:22] but there is one problem: its shelf
[00:25:25] life in the supermarket, for example,
[00:25:29] is short. Therefore, its marketing
[00:25:33] value is slightly lower. When we
[00:25:36] look at dates designated for
[00:25:41] we look at dates with
[00:25:45] moderate moisture.
[00:25:49] Moderate moisture
[00:25:51] for dates means that they taste
[00:25:54] good and that their shelf
[00:25:57] life is long. Therefore, even
[00:26:01] if they are not
[00:26:06] frozen or refrigerated, they can stay
[00:26:10] on the shelf for
[00:26:14] arrive from farms, their temperature
[00:26:17] is usually high because our harvest
[00:26:20] season is in September, and the
[00:26:24] temperature is around 40 degrees. So, the temperature
[00:26:28] of the date enters high.
[00:26:31] We put it into gradual cooling.
[00:26:35] The entire facility is cooled to
[00:26:37] a temperature of 21 degrees,
[00:26:41] and then it goes through the sorting
[00:26:45] processes. When the date reaches the storage
[00:26:49] stage, it is stored at
[00:26:52] a temperature of minus 18 degrees.
[00:26:55] This temperature ensures that we can
[00:26:58] store it for long periods
[00:27:01] while maintaining its quality. As we know,
[00:27:05] the date season is a short season, meaning
[00:27:09] that in one month, from month 1 to
[00:27:12] month 1, 30 days,
[00:27:15] we must complete the entire harvesting
[00:27:18] process. So, in the past, before the availability
[00:27:22] of machines,
[00:27:37] there was a backlog in production and a
[00:27:41] slowness in the sorting and packaging process.
[00:27:45] Today, with the use of technology, we are
[00:27:48] able to package
[00:28:33] larger quantities and export them
[00:28:36] faster to global
[00:28:37] markets.
[00:28:41] This has benefited the farmer by providing faster
[00:28:44] marketing and has benefited the product by improving its
[00:28:48] quality because it shortens
[00:28:51] the period between
[00:28:53] harvesting and final
[00:29:02] packaging. Let's