Integration of technology vital for agriculture sector, workshop hears

AMMAN — Increasing the efficiency of water use is a major challenge for Jordan with its limited water resources and lack of technology in the field, according to Fadel Al Zu'bi, Senior Strategy Consultant at the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

Zu'bi emphasised the value of “agri-tech”, which utilises technology to maximise the water-use efficiency, noting that it is “highly needed” in Jordan.

Zu'bi told The Jordan Times that the Agriculture Ministry’s new strategic plan for the years 2022-2025 includes a number of projects that will work on introducing, improving and supporting agri-tech, in addition to the National Agricultural Research Centre’s research to maximise water-use efficiency. 

He indicated that the agriculture sector must resort to drought-resistant plants and seeds that require less water.

Zu'bi said that Russia and Ukraine provide 24 per cent of the whole trade market of grains. “Any disruption of the supply chain will affect all countries, especially the MENA region, as most countries import from Ukraine and Russia,” he told The Jordan Times during an interview on Saturday.

“Luckily, Jordan has a strategic stock for eight months, which will give us time to absorb the shock and change the modalities of supply and resort to other countries,” he continued.

Zu'bi highlighted the importance of the National Economic Workshop: “It is vital and very important, as it helps us set goals for agriculture in order to increase agricultural growth through increasing agricultural land, improving irrigation, labour conditions, market access, financing and the value chain.”

This will help the sector create job opportunities, as well as increase percentage of the agriculture sector’s contribution to GDP, Zu'bi said.

During the second meeting of the workshop on Saturday, representatives, experts and officials of the agriculture sector discussed the sector’s potential for growth, the growth enablers, and the challenges facing the sector as well as the goals for the upcoming 10 years.

The session highlighted the importance of integrating agri-tech, which will increase job opportunities and expand the sector, as well as improve logistics, reduce waste, diversify water resources, and modernise irrigation techniques and systems.

One of the most important goals for the agriculture sector is to increase the sector’s GDP contribution, the discussion concluded.