AMMAN — Stakeholders voiced their support for
the
Ministry of Agriculture’s move to reconsider import restrictions on
agricultural produce, while calling to protect local farmers at the same time.
اضافة اعلان
The ministry formed a joint committee to study and
reconsider these restrictions. The committee will comprise ministry officials,
representatives from the country’s chambers of commerce and industry, the Jordan
Farmers Union, and a number of associations of agricultural producers.
The ministry said that forming this committee comes as
part of efforts to enhance food security and increase food stocks in the Kingdom,
according to a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, on Friday.
The committee will work on easing restrictions on 880 imported
products, each of which are subject to ten terms and conditions.
The ministry decision includes reducing the number of
conditions on imported commodities that are not produced locally such as
cardamom, coffee, and caviar, the ministry’s spokesperson Lawrence Majali told
the
Jordan News.
MP Mohammad Alaqmeh stressed the importance of
protecting local produce by controlling imports and not to flood the local
market that would result in an undesirable drop in prices.
Alaqmeh, who is the head of the Lower House’s
Agriculture and Water Committee, said that there must be higher and lower
limits set on the prices of vegetables and fruits in order to protect consumers
and farmers.
Importation of cheaper alternatives is not always the
solution to bringing down high prices of locally produced goods, the MP said.
“There are other solutions, such as increasing production of a certain
commodity and placing a price limit on them,” Alaqmeh told
Jordan News.
The deputy called for providing “precise” studies on
market demand and local supply to help decide which agricultural produce to
import and which not to.
He also called on the
Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Supply to join the efforts in identifying which commodities are to be included
in the imports list.
Alaqmeh said that some farmers have contacted him
complaining about the import of vegetables they cultivate locally, which
resulted in an undesirable drop in prices to below the cost of production.
He expressed discontent over not including members of
Parliament during the formation of the new committee.
Farmers commended the ministry’s measures in general
to protect local produce by halting the importation of crops produced in Jordan
by regulating import licenses, unless there is a shortage in a certain
commodity.
“Regulating imports has a positive impact on farmers
and consumers alike, as this would control prices so they are not too high for
consumers or too low for farmers,” said Sulaiman Dojan, a farmer.
Dojan called for increasing the imports of agricultural
supplies such as pesticides, seeds and equipment to lower prices.
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