Egypt says Jordan to lift import ban on Egyptian potatoes

Jordan has lifted a ban on imports of Egyptian potatoes it imposed over a year ago due to brown rot, Egypt’s Agriculture Ministry said on Tuesday. Earlier this month, Bahrain, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates agreed to lift bans on Egyptian agricultural imports like lettuce and onions put in place due to concerns of pesticide residues. Egypt has appointed an agricultural quarantine body to advise on shipments and any violations of international standards. Egypt’s agricultural exports rose 13.9 percent during the first nine months of 2017, reaching 4.1 million tonnes compared to 3.6 million last year. It exports around 1.2 million tonnes of agricultural products to other Arab countries annually. (Source: Reuters)