(MENAFN - Jordan Times) The Ministry of Environment is urging owners of poultry and livestock farms to treat organic fertilisers on their premises in order to help curb the spread of domestic flies in the Jordan Valley.
"As the weather starts to warm up in the Jordan Valley, domestic flies start to spread again. Treating organic fertilisers at the source means that such substances are not used in the area without treatment," Ministry of Environment Spokesperson Isa Shboul told The Jordan Times yesterday.
Jordan Valley farmers have long used untreated organic fertilisers which attract domestic flies due to their high percentage of humidity. In August 2009, the ministry instituted a crackdown on the use of organic fertilisers in the Jordan Valley while in 2008, major poultry and livestock farms were required to establish treatment plants to sterilise animal waste generated by their facilities in order to address the problem of domestic flies.
A higher committee with members from several ministries and institutions convened on Thursday at the Ministry of Environment to discuss measures to limit the spread of domestic flies.
The committee highlighted the importance of carrying out regular maintenance on flytraps distributed in the Jordan Valley last year.
More than 10,000 flytraps were distributed in the Jordan Valley during the second half of last year and hundreds of neem trees were planted as part of the campaign to repel insects.
Neem (Azadirachta indica), a tree of the mahogany family that grows in tropical and semi-tropical regions, is native to India, Burma, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Pakistan.
Its derivatives neutralise nearly 500 kinds of pests including insects, mites, ticks and nematodes, by affecting their behaviour and physiology, according to web sources.
Harmless to larger animals, the neem tree, also known as the Indian lilac, does not normally kill pests directly, but repels them and hinders their growth.
No longer exclusively for agriculture, the Jordan Valley is now a growing luxury tourism destination with houses, hotels, villas and apartments being developed, which officials say necessitates a quick solution to the insect problem.
