success story

March 2009

It is early in the morning and a Palestinian trader has just loaded his truck with pallets of freshly picked fruits and vegetables. He begins his journey from the Jordan Valley to the Israeli market, but instead of moving goods through the Bisan crossing, which is a fifteen minute drive, he is forced to transport goods through Jalameh crossing, which is nearly ninety minutes away. Once he arrives at Jalameh, the driver must wait, sometimes for hours. Meanwhile, it is now mid-day, the temperature is hot, and the fruits and vegetables are beginning to rot. In addition, it is now past the peak hours for sales of agricultural products, and as a result, the Palestinian trader has just suffered substantial financial loss. For Palestinian farmers and agricultural traders in the Jordan Valley, this is a familiar scenario.

The Bisan crossing is the only commercial crossing between the Jordan Valley and Israel for Palestinian agricultural exports. It is usually open from September-June, the main agricultural export season, and has limited hours dictated by truck volumes. But by early-October Bisan crossing had yet to open and local agricultural traders were alarmed that it might remain closed throughout the season.

The USAID Trade Facilitation Project (TFP) quickly responded to the voice of the private sector in the Jordan Valley. USAID, in consultation with the US Consulate and others in the business and donor community, worked with the Israeli authorities to reopen the Bisan crossing. In early November, these efforts were successful and the crossing was reopened for agricultural shipments.

According to farmers and agricultural traders in the Jordan Valley, the impact has been tremendous. Using the Jalameh crossing required traveling an additional 30-35 kilometers, over an hour in travel time, and 340 NIS per shipment. Moreover, it is more crowded with longer wait times, which limits the number of shipments per day and increases the likelihood of spoilage. That has all changed with the reopening of the Bisan crossing. Local traders report the crossing is running smoothly and is processing approximately 20-40 truckloads per day, which amounts to an estimated seasonal savings of approximately $350,000 for all traders.