AMMAN — Jordan, which imports strategic crops
including wheat and barley, has a precarious
food security, agricultural
experts say.
اضافة اعلان
They contend that the country should look to invest
more in agricultural projects, develop agricultural water networks, plant less
water-intensive crops, and come up with projects that promote the development
of the local aquatic and agricultural environment to address the problem.
Poultry and Feed Investors Association President
Abdel Shakoor Al-Jamjoum said that achieving food security “requires the
government to develop long-term plans and strategies, especially that there is
not enough stock of fodder in the Kingdom”.
“We should start cultivating fodder to become
self-sufficient, especially since the increase in fodder prices contributes to
the increase in the price of animal products,” he told
Jordan News.
To come up with plans and solutions “that serve the
country and citizens”, he said, a group session bringing together
representatives of the public and private sectors should be held, he suggested.
Head of a cattle feed cooperative Laith Al-Hajj told
Jordan News that the cattle sector consumes about 90 percent of the feed
from abroad, stressing that “Jordan should start cultivating fodder as this is
an essential part of achieving food security”.
“The government should collaborate with private
sector representatives and come up with a good strategy to create a strategic
stock of fodder,” he added.
Head of Traders and Producers of Agricultural
Materials Syndicate
Mohammad Loay Bibars told
Jordan News that there are
several obstacles to reaching strategic crops self-reliance, including water
scarcity, lack of agricultural units, and the geographical nature of the
country.
According to him,
“the government should ensure that investors will not lose when they invest in
the agricultural sector”, knowing that “agricultural projects carry many
risks”.
Secretary General of the Farmers Union
Mahmoud Al-Oran told
Jordan News that “rain-fed crops, especially wheat and
barley, are very modest and cover only a small percentage of the total consumption”.
“In the long run, we must increase the capacity of
the national grain silos, in conjunction with the establishment of free zones,
silos for storing grain and large food industries, by attracting the local and
regional private sector to invest in these areas and provide all forms of
support, free from bureaucratic complications,” he said.
That should not be difficult, he said, since “we
have low-humidity areas, which offer a climate suitable for storing grains,
such as the south of Wadi Araba and Al-Quwaira, both of which are close to the
port and airport of Aqaba”.
He also suggested encouraging “inter-Arab
investments in the field of food production, exploiting the comparative and
competitive advantages of these countries”.
“We should also work with neighboring countries to
remove all trade and customs obstacles that impede the flow of foodstuff to and
from Jordan,” he said.
He explained that “returning to contract farming
outside Jordan, such as in Sudan, Eastern European countries, and Canada, may
be more effective than ever, especially when it comes to fodder cultivation.”
“All these things may help solve some of the
problems facing farmers and the government in achieving food security,” he
added.
Some water experts, meanwhile, sounded the alarm due
to what they said was a rise in wasted water, according to Al-Ghad News. It
said the experts estimated the water loss at between 30 to 50 percent, which
they blamed primarily on a degraded water system.
The experts the rise in wasted water comes at a time
when Jordan must work hard to increase self-reliance in the production of key
agricultural crops, in order to contribute to food security.
The experts said that water harvesting was
insufficient, and is not being implemented on scientific basis.
They called on the government to rearrange project
priorities, with emphasis on expanding the use of modern, legalized techniques
for irrigation water use and introducing optimal water use technology.
Former secretary-general of the
Jordan Valley Authority Saad Abu Hammour cited Jordan’s inability to live in the luxury of
consuming water in useless farms.
Amid the challenges of climate change and dependence
on rainfall, Abu Hammour called for urgent solutions to overcome the
consequences of those challenges, which are particularly reflective of food
security.
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