Page 31 - FULL YEAR BOOK 2021

Jordan

JORDAN- AGRICULTURE MINISTRY UNVEILS 2020-2025

STRATEGY WORTH JD591M TO REVIVE SECTOR

The Ministry of Agriculture announced challenges limited the agro produce’s Therefore, the minister said, the
the 2020-2025 National Agricultural access to retailers and consumers when government revisited agricultural
Development Strategy at an estimated the Kingdom enforced total lockdowns a policies and endorsed the 2020-2025
cost of JD591-million, focusing on the few months ago. National Agricultural Development
digitisation and restructuring of the Strategy focusing on the following
sector and boosting its productivity. priorities: The restructuring, digitisation
of the agricultural sector, the utilisation
The strategy envisages a total of of modern technology, enhancing
174 interventions and projects, said production and productivity, focusing on
Acting Minister of Agriculture Saleh strategic crops, developing the logistics
Kharabsheh during a press conference, chain of operations, uplifting the agro-
the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. processing chain, developing the export
He explained that the strategy will be chain, and expanding forest and pasture
financed via a host of channels, including areas.
JD179 from the Treasury; JD310 million
in lending from the Agricultural Credit
Corporation and JD80 million from
foreign aid and grants, noting that the Production (tonnes) of some agricultural commodities in Jordan (2017-2018)
funding gap is estimated at JD22 million.
Item 2017 Flag 2018 Flag
Citing the strategy’s performance
indicators, the minister said they include Almonds, with shell 3756 2167 Im
increasing the agricultural GDP as share Apples 42561 Im 42394 Im
of total GDP from JD2.6 billion now to
JD3.66 billion by 2025 and boosting the Apricots 15061 12276 Im
added-value of agriculture to JD2.48 Barley 41200 35173 Im
billion from JD1.6 billion.
Cabbages and other brassicas 55474 35016 Im
Another key theme of the strategy
is creating 65,000 jobs in the five-year Chick peas 1650 1911 Im
period and replacing 21,000 foreign Dates 25222 19588 Im
workers with Jordanians, Kharabsheh 62790 71473 Im
noted, adding that the strategy is also Eggplants (aubergines)
intended to increase the number of Figs 815 785 Im
farmers using digital government-run 30258 29323 Im
agricultural services by 30 per cent. Fruit, fresh nes
Grapes 53169 Im 44717 Im
Another focus area of the strategy is
export costs reduction to pave the way Lemons and limes 42886 32093 Im
for a 15 per cent increase in agricultural 154 105 Im
exports. Accordingly, the strategy is Lentils
designed to help cut air and land freight Maize 22044 21914 Im
costs by 12 per cent and increase the 7 Im 10 Im
productivity of food and agricultural Millet
manufacturers by 18 per cent by 2025. Pistachios 410 620 Im
Furthermore, the strategy is pursuing Sesame seed 16 27 Im
a 10 per cent increase in the forest area Sorghum 13039 Im 13431 Im
by 2025, Kharabsheh indicated.
Soybeans 0 Im 0 Im
Kharabsheh said that the coronavirus
pandemic crisis brought to the fore Sunflower seed M M
a number of challenges facing the Tobacco, unmanufactured 20 11 Im
agricultural sector that were not
addressed in previous agricultural Tomatoes 787141 839052 Im
policies. Vegetables, fresh nes 56904 77315 Im
The lack of comprehensive agricultural Walnuts, with shell M M
databases comes at the forefront of
these challenges, the minister said, Watermelons 103475 110417 Im
noting ‘poor digitisation or utilisation of Wheat 25270 20668 Im
modern technologies in agriculture’.
Im: FAO data based on imputation methodology Source: FAO Statistical Division 2019
According to Kharabsheh, these M: Data not available

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