AMMAN — Jordanian, Iraqi, Syrian, and
Lebanese ministers of agriculture on Sunday met in Amman to explore solutions
that address food insecurity and strengthen agricultural exchange among the
four nations, according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra.
اضافة اعلان
The two-day event is a follow up on a similar
meeting held in Beirut in July this year; its aim is to assess the progress
made so far in advancing cooperation in agriculture and food security.
During the two-day meeting, ministers will also
discuss ways to improve their countries’ food security, address water scarcity,
prevent the spread of infectious diseases, and combat desert locusts.
They are also expected to devise a plan to promote
trade and investment, including the exchange of fertilizers, pesticides,
medication, veterinary vaccines, improved seeds, and plant and animal products.
To facilitate trade, a unified agricultural calendar will also be created.
The ministers will meet with regional directors of
various international organizations operating in their countries to discuss
ways to collaborate in the areas of food security,
climate change, agricultural
commodity flow, and agricultural investment prospects. Jordan will also
consider acting as a regional and strategic food security observatory.
Minister of Agriculture
Khaled Al-Hneifat
highlighted the serious challenges faced by the countries of the region due to
climate change, crises, wars, and turmoil, which have disrupted most
agricultural, tourism, cultural, and intraregional trade.
“The four countries have endured international
crises over the last two years, beginning with the corona virus and its
repercussion on individuals, the economy, supply chains, and cross-border
trade, followed by the
Russian-Ukrainian crisis, which directly affected the
food supply,” he said.
Hneifat also said that inflation and the increase in
oil prices resulted in an increase in the prices of production inputs and
energy-related services, such as sea, air, and land shipping, prompting the
need to accelerate the implementation of common solutions to mitigate the
crisis with the least possible losses.
“Jordan was aware of the challenges early on and
managed to develop, adopt, and implement a comprehensive food security strategy
in collaboration with
UN organizations, during which food security-related
policies were reviewed, while creating a national umbrella to ensure the
availability, continuity, and stability of food during crises,” he said.
The minister emphasized the importance of
establishing a regional food security observatory, where local and
international expertise can come together to collect and analyze food security
data, enabling decision makers to predict food crises, develop appropriate
prevention policies, and find effective and urgent solutions.
He also expressed Jordan’s willingness to host the
UN World Food Program’s (WFP) soon-to-be-established regional center for relief
and emergency aid, which will play a critical role in improving regional food
security.
Hneifat reaffirmed the need for such meetings to be
held by the four nations at all levels, to discuss issues like agricultural and
veterinary quarantine, and transport and transit procedures, and to develop
joint projects in collaboration with international organizations.
The minister praised the participation of
international organizations, particularly the UN Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO) and the UN Development Program (
UNDP), as well as of
regional organizations such as the Arab Organization for Agricultural
Development (AOAD), the WFP, and many others.
Syrian Minister of Agriculture Mohammad Hassan Qatna
stated that the four nations’ ability to deal with the effects of global
crises, such as food shortages, disruptions in the energy and food markets, and
transportation issues, would be improved through cooperation and agricultural
economic integration.
He said cooperation helps enhance the four
countries’ capacity to deal with the effects of climate change on natural
resources and agricultural activities.
“In light of the world turmoil and shifts, it has
become necessary and a key national interest for our four countries to focus on
steps that could bring stability and food security, by facilitating the exchange
of products and information, as well as through joint cooperation to develop
production and increase the efficiency of use of natural resources,” he said.
Iraqi Minister of Agriculture Mohammad Karim Khafaji
emphasized the significance of food security to political and economic
stability, and emphasized the importance of utilizing all available resources
for joint investments in the agricultural sector of the four countries in order
to lay the groundwork for a regional food security system.
To cut down on protein, fertilizer, pesticide,
vaccine, veterinary medicine, and pest control program production costs, the
minister urged an integrated agricultural calendar, fodder cultivation,
livestock breeding, and integrated joint projects.
Lebanese Minister of Agriculture
Abbas Hajj Hassan
said that meeting such as theirs are proof of a unified Arab partnership,
indicating that this stage requires joint interaction and integration to
enhance food security as a strategic objective for the four nations.
He referred to
His Majesty King Abdullah’s speech at
the UN on the dangers of food security as a shared concern, stating that “we
must all interact and cooperate to achieve a stable stage for our present and
future”.
Representatives of FAO, AOAD, WFP, the Islamic Organization
for Food Security, Arab Center for Studies of Arid Zones and Dry Lands, and the
UNDP attended the meetings.
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