Jordanian agriculture products reach Norway

AMMAN — One year after the state visit of King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway to Jordan, Jordanian vegetables are grown in the arid lands of Aqaba arrived in Oslo. 

The Sahara Forest Project (SFP) shipped 48 boxes -3.5kg each- of red sweet pointed peppers and red hot chilli peppers, according to a SFP statement.

“This demonstrates an international demand for Jordanian products produced in a climate-smart way in the desert,” SFP  Managing Director Kjetil Stake said in the statement. 

Peppers from Jordan was brought via ground and sea transportation to northern Europe.

The vegetables were grown and harvested in a state of the art facility in the Jordanian desert, which utilises, seawater, sunlight, wind and climate-smart agricultural technologies to grow crops inside and outside their Aqaba salt water-cooled greenhouses all year long. 

The SFP uses saltwater, sunlight and Jordanian arid lands to produce top-notch vegetables. At the same time, the project brings forward a solution to face desertification and food scarcity across the region, whilst creating new high-skilled jobs for young Jordanians, according to the statement.

 “I am happy that the Jordanian vegetables will be introduced to the Norwegian market. Hopefully, this is a great start to further strengthen and increase trade relations between our two friendly countries. Well done to our good friends and all the people working at the SFP, for the hard work and effort they have put into the project making it what it is today, a success. Their use of advanced technology could further develop the agricultural sector in Jordan,” Norway’s Ambassador to Jordan Janti Kalajoqa was quoted in the statement as saying.

The mission of the Sahara Forest Project, which was inaugurated under the patronage of His Majesty King Abdullah and Crown Prince Haakon of Norway in September 2017, is to green desert areas and to create local green jobs through the production of food, fresh water and clean energy, using salt water and sunlight as the main input factors, according to the statement.