Amman: The Ministry of Agriculture has announced the signing of an agreement to establish a grading, packing, and sorting center, which will also provide cold storage facilities for approximately 12,000 tons of citrus and vegetables. This initiative, costing JD5 million, aims to bridge the gap between local production and demand throughout the year.
According to Jordan News Agency, the agreement was signed by the Minister of Agriculture, Khaled Hneifat, alongside Ahmed Ghizawi, head of the Jordan Valley Citrus Agricultural Cooperative Association, and Mohammad Maraiha, Representative of the Jordan Cooperative Corporation and Mayor of Sharhabil bin Hasna Municipality. This agreement is a response to the Royal vision for modernizing and developing sectors across the nation and is part of the National Plan for Sustainable Agriculture 2022-2025.
The plan's objective is to enhance the Kingdom's agricultural sector by modernizing the value chain for agricultural products. This modernization is expected to foster innovation, develop services, and encourage exports, which aligns with the initiative's goals. The Ministry highlighted that the development of the citrus sector in the northern Jordan Valley and various production areas is necessary due to sporadic gaps in the production-supply chain during agricultural seasons.
These gaps often result in price discrepancies, prompting the Ministry to work towards a balanced supply-demand dynamic. This balance is intended to maintain a sustainable stock, which will increase food security levels and create additional job opportunities. The agreement also aims to stimulate investments in water productivity technologies to enhance sustainable competitiveness and to identify gaps in local value chains, thereby identifying promising commodities and infrastructure needs.
Furthermore, the cooperation seeks to develop readiness to implement appropriate financing tools that stimulate private investment, ultimately enhancing competitiveness and improving income generation opportunities for farmers' alliances.