Jordan Daily – His Majesty King Abdullah II on Monday reviewed advancements in the National Plan for Sustainable Agriculture (2022-2025) during a meeting at Al Husseiniya Palace. Also present was His Highness Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II, the Crown Prince, and Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh.
King Abdullah II stressed the importance of the National Plan’s initiatives in enhancing the Kingdom’s food security.
He called for removing barriers, especially those concerning the marketing of agricultural exports, and underscored the crucial support the Food Security Council offers to the agricultural realm.
Agriculture Minister, Khaled Huniefat noted the Kingdom now fulfills 60 percent of its food needs through domestic agriculture. He highlighted the plan’s successes in 2022, with 27 of the 31 planned initiatives being finalized and the rest in the final stages.
In 2022, projects received funding of JD58.9 million, with the Agricultural Credit Corporation providing JD52.9 million and the private sector adding another JD6 million.
The year saw notable support for livestock breeders, the introduction of two training centers, and the generation of over 13,000 job opportunities, including training stints, for Jordanians.
For 2023, Huniefat outlined four pivotal initiatives with varying degrees of completion: launching modern agricultural ventures, developing a digital farm registry, creating a comprehensive food security database, and expanding agricultural industries in industrial zones.
Huniefat mentioned that the plan, set to run over four years, has an estimated budget of 389 million dinars, a collaboration involving the private sector, the Agricultural Credit Corporation, and a JD170 million contribution from the treasury.