Ministry signs JD2m agreement for Badia wool sector

AMMAN — The Ministry of Environment and the UNDP on Wednesday signed an agreement to boost wool production in the Jordanian Badia at a total cost of JD2 million.

Environment Minister Ibrahim Shahahdeh and UNDP Resident Representative Sarah Olivella signed the agreement, which will support the livestock farming industry in Jordan.

The project will reflect positively on various parts of the Kingdom, Shahahdeh said, adding that it has both a developmental and environmental effect.

In a ministry statement sent to The Jordan Times, the minister explained that new sheep shearing technologies will be introduced to the conventional livestock sector, to boost its sectoral efficiency and profitability.

Additionally, the project will create new job opportunities and build on the Jordanian added-value of the industry, the statement added.

Olivella noted that part of the funding will go to training programmes and financing local cooperative associations and projects.

It will also boost the marketability of the Badia’s products, she underlined.

The resulting product should meet international benchmark standards of the industry, Olivella highlighted.

Director General of the Jordanian Cooperative Corporation Awni Shudeifat stated that the cooperative will provide all necessary administrative and technical equipment required for the project in collaboration with Badia cooperatives.

The joint programme will run in coordination with local and international partners in the field, the director of the ministry’s Environmental Compensation Department, Mohammad Jazi, said.