Farmers pin hope on Agriculture Ministry’s development plan

AMMAN — Expressing their hopes, Jordanian farmers and agricultural workers comment on the Agriculture Ministry’s comprehensive agricultural development plan, which will be announced in the coming days.

The development plan seeks to increase GDP, find realistic and feasible solutions for the Kingdom’s agricultural sector and support Jordanian farmers, according to a ministry statement made available to The Jordan Times.

“We need a new perspective on the sector’s export and marketing processes, in order to reach more markets,” Nawash Al Yazjeen, a farmer from the Jordan Valley, told The Jordan Times on Saturday. 

He expressed hope that the ministry’s plan would solve many challenges facing the sector including the limited agricultural exports.

“Agricultural products matter to development and positively affect the national economy,” according to Yazjeen, who also noted that the plan should include innovative ideas and solutions, in order to see “real change”.

Farmers are in need of proper financing programmes, in order to circumvent the sector’s challenges, said Khalil Abdullah, a farmer based in the Jordan Valley, told The Jordan Times over the phone. 

 “I hope that the comprehensive development plan includes various support programmes for farmers and people working in the sector,” he said.

If the government truly supports farmers, this time they might be able to expand their businesses, thereby increase their productivity and become more entrepreneurial within the scope of their work, he added.