Agreements signed to support productive agricultural projects

AMMAN — The Jordan Enterprise Development Corporation signs 102 grant agreements through the Rural Finance Development and Employment Programme which is funded by International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

The implementation of the activities of development and support of saving and credit groups and association, business mentoring and technical support is carried out in cooperation with the Jordan River Foundation, according to a JEDCO statement.

The agreements were signed by JEDCO’s CEO Bashar Zu’bi and the projects’ representatives.

“A total of 64 of the agreements were granted as group and 38 were granted individually to support productive agricultural projects in the governorates of Balqa, Ajloun, Jerash, Mafraq and Madaba, with a total value of $329,600, of which $4,500 for each group and $1,500 for individual grants,” Zu’bi said.

The submitted proposals included entrepreneurial ideas for agricultural production projects and create new job opportunities for youth and women sectors, and will contribute to improving the standards of living in the targeted governorates, according to the statement.

He also pointed out that during last June, 249 grants were signed to support and develop agricultural value chain, with $827,800 distributing to the targeted governorates, said the statement.

Zu’bi added that the Jordan River Foundation has worked to implement the activities of development and support of saving and credit groups and association, technical support and business mentoring to small projects.

Director General of the Jordan River Foundation Enaam Barishi stressed that the Jordan River Foundation is committed through its mission to all the governorates to enhance the role of beneficiaries by finding opportunities for establishing viable projects that contribute to local and national economic development.

The Rural Economic Growth and Employment Project aims at the development of agricultural projects to integrate small-scale farmers in value chains and improve their opportunities to get the needed funding in rural areas, and to improve their capacity building and competitiveness and their contributions to selected value chains in rural areas, concluded the statement.