Lebanese, Jordanian Trucks Stranded at Saudi Border

Date: 28 April 2021 - 20:46

News ID: ۸۹۶۹۵

BEIRUT (Dispatches) – A total of 40 Lebanese trucks loaded with fruits and vegetables are stranded at the port of Jeddah as Saudi Arabia banned agricultural imports from Lebanon, Elnashra local news website reported.
Farmers will lose 2 million U.S. dollars if these products fail to reach their destination and are destroyed instead, said Ibrahim Tarshishi, head of the farmers’ association in Lebanon’s Bekaa.
Saudi Arabia announced on April 23 a ban on the entry of Lebanese vegetables and fruits after the Saudi Customs foiled an attempt to smuggle Captagon narcotic pills at the port of Jeddah from Lebanon.
This has prompted Lebanese top officials to urge Saudi Arabia to reconsider its decision amid Lebanon’s current tough economic conditions while vowing to crack down on smuggling networks.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia on Tuesday prevented more than 400 Jordanian trucks loaded with fruits, vegetables, and livestock from entering its territories, citing "technical reasons” related to the trucks’ production year.
Deputy head of Jordan’s Truck Owners’ Syndicate, Nael Dhiabat, said the drivers were surprised by the decision upon entering the Saudi border posts.
He explained that the decision stipulates that cars made before 2000 or that are more than 21 years old are banned from entering Saudi Arabia or passing through the kingdom’s territories to other Persian Gulf countries.
Dhiabat said the relevant authorities in Jordan had been informed of the Saudi decision.