The agriculture sector contributes 5.5 percent to Jordan Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Jordan, according to Minister Khaled Hanifat.
During a meeting on Tuesday evening organized by the Amman Group for Future Dialogues, the minister spoke about the sector and highlighted key achievements. The Amman Group for Future Dialogues was formed with the goal of highlighting national issues and discussing them with experts and specialists in order to come up with solutions and address challenges.
Agriculture is the foundation for achieving food security and national stability, according to Hanifat, who also noted that the ministry’s strategy and plans aim to create employment opportunities.
He cited a sustainable national plan for the sector developed with the participation of stakeholders, which includes quarterly, half-year, and annual performance indicators to provide an appropriate environment for the sector to develop, support farmers, improve product quality, and profit.
Elaborating on the strategy, Hanifat stated that the ministry intends to provide a “agricultural guide” for each agricultural holding as well as 350 agricultural engineers and veterinarians who will be equipped with the most advanced technology and will work alongside farmers to implement prevention and treatment measures, review side effects and environmental effects, and monitor product quality.
Meanwhile, the Agricultural Credit Corporation’s portfolio has grown from JD42 million to JD115 million in the last five years, with about JD105 million in loans made to farmers in the last four years, JD50 million of which were soft loans, he added.
Concerning the empowerment of women and youth in the sector, the minister said that the portfolio provided JD20 million in loans to housewives and JD10 million for young people to carry out productive projects, resulting in the creation of approximately 12,000 jobs.
Source: Jordan News Agency