Food industries strategy aims to increase exports to 1.61 billion dinars by 2029
Amman4 min read
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The national strategy for the food industries sector for the years 2027–2029 aims to bring about a transformation in the structure of industrial production by increasing the value-added of products, enhancing productivity and innovation, and developing value chains, in a way that supports the competitiveness of Jordanian food products and their ability to access foreign markets.
The strategy set food export targets of 1.232 billion dinars in 2027, rising to 1.61 billion dinars in 2029, while aiming to increase the sector's value-added to between 2.2 and 2.4 billion dinars, and raising the annual production volume to between 5.5 and 5.8 billion dinars by the end of the strategy period.
The strategy seeks to increase the share of high value-added products in total production to between 32 and 35 percent by 2029, compared to about 25 percent in the baseline, in addition to raising the share of exports of these products to between 45 and 50 percent, as part of a trend to enhance the quality of exports and improve their economic return.
The strategy highlights a number of priority activities for development, including the processing and preservation of vegetables and fruits, the production of chocolate, sweets, ready-made meals, and other food products, due to the opportunities they provide for deepening industrialization and innovating new products with higher value-added.
In the technology and productivity axis, it aims to raise the percentage of establishments that apply digital operating and management systems to between 50 and 60 percent by 2029, compared to less than 20 percent in the baseline, which enhances the efficiency of industrial processes and the ability of establishments to manage production and monitor performance.
The proposed initiatives include establishing a national digital food tracking system from farm to factory, developing a food compliance and inspection system that supports exports, and updating national food laboratories, in a way that supports improving product quality and aligning it with the technical and regulatory requirements of target markets.
Regarding integration between productive sectors, the strategy aims to support contract farming to link farmers with food processing plants, develop agro-industrial hubs near production areas to reduce waste, in addition to strengthening industrial linkages and deepening the local component in food products.
The initiatives also include developing logistical infrastructure and cold chains for food exports, establishing a system for innovation and pilot manufacturing, developing the identity and export brand for Jordanian food industries, and localizing the advanced packaging industry, which enhances the ability of establishments to develop their products and raise their export readiness.
The strategy attaches importance to addressing the challenges that affect the competitiveness of the sector by improving resource use efficiency, developing technical and technological capabilities, enhancing integration between production links, and updating legislative and regulatory frameworks and technical rules related to food industries.
The strategy indicates that achieving export targets requires raising productivity, improving export readiness, diversifying markets, expanding into high value-added products, and taking advantage of opportunities available in African and Asian markets, in addition to opportunities related to regional reconstruction.
In the longer term and up to 2033, it aims to raise the value of food exports to between 2 and 2.2 billion dinars, increase the share of high value-added products to between 40 and 45 percent, and raise the percentage of establishments using digital operating and management systems to more than 80 percent.
To ensure monitoring of implementation, the strategy adopts a performance measurement framework that separates economic impact indicators at the sector level from executive indicators for initiatives, with targets subject to periodic monitoring and evaluation and the possibility of review in light of actual performance and economic changes.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade announced at the beginning of this month the launch of 3 sectoral strategies for the years (2027–2029), including engineering, food, chemical, and cosmetics industries, as part of efforts to develop the industrial sector and enhance its competitiveness and productivity, and in a way that supports the goals of the high value-added industries engine within the Economic Modernization Vision, in addition to developing target sectors by identifying priorities, initiatives, and projects with economic impact and linking them to clear performance indicators and targets to enhance the sector's contribution to economic growth, exports, investment, and employment.
