president of the Jordanian Businessmen Association, Hamdi Al-Tabbaa, confirmed during the regular morning meeting with the Minister of Agriculture, His Excellency Engineer Khaled Al-Hanifat, which was held at the headquarters of the Jordanian Businessmen Association, that the agricultural sector represents a major source of food and food security in the Kingdom, and constitutes a source of income for a high proportion of the workforce, as About a quarter of the workforce depends on agriculture for their income, along with 20 percent of commodity exports.

He pointed out that the agricultural sector achieved the highest growth rate during the second quarter of this year, reaching 8.2 percent, contributing 0.31 percentage points to the growth rate in the gross domestic product, while it overlaps significantly with the rest of the national sectors, which form the basis of the economy and development and which plays a role. Key in addressing the challenges of poverty and unemployment.

The president of the association believed that climate changes are among the main reasons for the decline in agricultural production, including water shortages and increased risks of drought, which has negatively affected living conditions in rural areas.

Al-Tabbaa explained that addressing the issue of food security requires a development strategy at the national level that ensures the participation of various sectors and entities related to agricultural work and production, in addition to implementing major local projects to alleviate the food crisis and its effects on society. It also contributes to reducing dependence on imports in a way that enhances economic growth and revitalization. Other economic sectors.

For his part, Minister of Agriculture, Engineer Khaled Al-Hunaifat, confirmed that the Kingdom’s orientation towards the agricultural sector has become clear through the high royal interest and clear paths that include expanding industrialization, changing the agricultural pattern, opening export markets, and supporting farmers.

Engineer Al-Hanifat indicated today, Saturday, during the regular morning meeting of the Jordanian Businessmen Association, which was held at its headquarters, that the ministry’s capital spending during the next year will reach 40 million dinars from its budget.

He said that Jordan seeks to maximize the added value of agriculture to the national economy despite the existence of water scarcity, noting that the Kingdom produces 60 percent of local consumption of agricultural products, while exports reach more than 60 countries in the world

He stressed the importance of the agricultural sector, whose contribution reaches 20 percent of the gross domestic product, in achieving food security in the Kingdom, in addition to providing thousands of job opportunities, pointing out that the sector also plays a role in the environmental dimension, confronting climate change, and supporting the green economy.

He pointed to the role of the private sector in providing job and employment opportunities, stressing the government’s keenness to strengthen the partnership between the public and private sectors for the benefit of the national economy.

He talked about food security and the Kingdom’s experience during the period of the Corona virus pandemic in securing all the local market’s needs of various types of vegetables and fruits, as we did not witness a shortage of them.

He continued that there is great interest today in the agricultural sector and there are continuing royal trends regarding this, pointing to the strategy approved by the Ministry for the sector.

He pointed to the vision of economic modernization and initiatives in organizing the sector to be effective in the national economy and to contribute to providing job opportunities and confronting the issues of poverty and unemployment.

He explained that there are trends to reorganize the agricultural sector, as it began with agricultural extension, partnership with farmers, and attention to training and marketing, pointing out the role of the Agricultural Credit Corporation, as its lending portfolio was increased to expand lending operations to farmers.

He noted the many projects implemented by the Ministry with many entities and the private sector, especially with regard to fish farming, mushroom production, and the cultivation of some new agricultural varieties, stressing that the Ministry is also working to address the issue of agricultural marketing, both in the local market and expanding export markets for Jordanian agricultural products.

Engineer Al-Hanifat said that food manufacturing is important for the Ministry to work on providing training and support to small farmers and organizing agricultural festivals to market their products, in addition to establishing permanent exhibitions and restaurants specializing in Jordanian heritage during the next year, which will be a lever for the sector.

He pointed to the Ministry's interest in the plant sector and expanding forest establishment by planting hundreds of thousands of forest trees and establishing a desert nursery, in addition to paying attention to water harvesting to encourage families to farm and improve their standard of living.

He expressed the Ministry's keenness to cooperate with specialized agricultural associations to improve production and provide support to achieve this, in addition to packaging, cooling, dilution and waxing of agricultural products, indicating that the Ministry is continuing to automate its services with the aim of facilitating procedures for service recipients and completing their transactions with ease and ease.

He stressed the need to reconsider university curricula related to agriculture in line with the needs of the labor market and the global development affecting the sector.

He stressed the Ministry's readiness to work to provide protection for any agricultural product and to pay attention to cut flowers if there are investors interested in the sector.

He stated that the prices of agricultural production requirements have risen in global markets and that the Ministry is ready to open the door to importing any productive input in a way that contributes to reducing prices and diversifying sources.

Minister Al-Hanifat indicated that the Ministry provides continuous support to farmers, whether in terms of adding agricultural projects, contract farming, and promoting Jordanian agricultural products in export markets, indicating that 15 international markets have been opened during the recent period.

In turn, businessmen and workers in the agricultural sector raised a number of issues during the meeting, including the importance of increasing the ministry’s allocations to support the sector, in addition to interest in growing flowers and saffron, changing agricultural patterns, and controlling the prices of production inputs related to agriculture.

They stressed the need to provide support to exporters, support the competitiveness of Jordanian products, expand the exporter base, protect farms, pay attention to the flower market, protect local agricultural production, and pay attention to agricultural research and agricultural extension