Minister of Agriculture: Promising Opportunities in the Date Sector for Expansion and Export

Khareesaat confirmed that supporting farmers and developing the agricultural sector are priorities for the Ministry of Agriculture, explaining that the Ministry's responsibility is not limited to supporting agricultural production, but extends to improving the quality of products, enhancing agricultural marketing and manufacturing, adding value, and opening more markets for Jordanian agricultural products, which contributes to increasing their competitiveness and enhancing their presence in foreign markets.

He pointed out that the palm and date sector is one of the promising agricultural sectors in the Kingdom due to the quality, specifications, and competitiveness of the Jordanian product, stressing the importance of continuing to develop this sector, support farmers and workers in it, and enhance the utilization of available potential to achieve more growth and sustainability.

Former Prime Minister Adnan Badran said that developing palm cultivation and sustaining its success requires an integrated partnership between various sectors and institutions, pointing to the importance of integrating the efforts of the National Center for Agricultural Research, universities, the Ministry of Agriculture, and the Jordan Valley Authority, alongside farmers, the Jordanian Date Association, and the Syndicate of Agricultural Engineers, to ensure the use of scientific research, modern agricultural technologies, digital transformation, and artificial intelligence in the service of the sector.

For his part, the President of the Jordanian Date Association, Engineer Anwar Haddad, said that the fifth season of the National Day for Picking and Harvesting Jordanian Dates is an occasion to celebrate a sector that has become a model of modern agriculture and successful agricultural investment, and the efforts of palm farmers who have placed Jordan on the map of date production and export globally.

He pointed out that the areas planted with palm trees have exceeded 50,000 dunums and include more than 800,000 palm trees, while the annual production exceeds 37,000 tons of the finest date varieties, primarily Majhool and Barhi, noting that the value of Jordanian date exports has exceeded 60 million dinars and reached more than 50 markets around the world, confirming the quality of the Jordanian product and its ability to compete.

Haddad explained that the sector has provided about 12,000 job opportunities and contributed to activating industries related to packaging and agricultural services, in addition to its growing role in supporting food security and the national economy.

He pointed to the Association's aspiration in the coming phase to continue developing the sector by improving water use efficiency, employing technology and artificial intelligence, enhancing food manufacturing, benefiting from the circular economy, and opening new markets for Jordanian dates.

For his part, the representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Jordan, Dr. Paul Obio, said that the celebration of the Jordanian date picking and harvesting day reflects the importance of this sector and its role in supporting the national economy, enhancing food security, providing job opportunities, and means of livelihood for local communities.

He affirmed FAO's commitment to continuing to support the Jordanian date sector through technical assistance, capacity building, and supporting national efforts to combat the red palm weevil, alongside supporting the development of the value chain within the One Country, One Priority Product initiative.

Obio pointed out that the future of the sector requires an integrated partnership to improve quality and productivity, enhance resource use efficiency, develop manufacturing, packaging, and marketing, and open broader horizons for investment and export.

For his part, the Assistant Secretary-General of the Jordan Valley Authority for the Northern and Southern Agwar, Engineer Faisal Al-Faqir, said that the Authority views the date sector as one of the promising agricultural sectors due to the natural and climatic conditions suitable for palm cultivation and high-quality date production in the Jordan Valley, which opens the door for more expansion in production, manufacturing, marketing, and enhancing the presence of the Jordanian product in local and foreign markets.

He explained that the partnership between the Jordan Valley Authority, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Date Association, farmers, and the private sector represents a key pillar for advancing the sector by unifying efforts, exchanging expertise, and developing practical solutions to the challenges facing farmers, leading to a more efficient, sustainable, and competitive date sector.

He affirmed that the Jordan Valley Authority will continue to play its role in serving the agricultural sector in the Valley, supporting farmers within its competencies, and enhancing the efficiency of water and irrigation management to serve sustainable agricultural development and enhance the status of the Jordan Valley as a major agricultural production area in the Kingdom.

For his part, Engineer Muhammad Abu Eisha presented the challenges facing the date sector, including weak infrastructure, high production costs, marketing difficulties, and foreign competition.

He called for registering Jordanian dates as a distinctive geographical indicator and enhancing pest control programs to preserve the sustainability of the sector, increase its competitiveness, and open broader horizons for it in global markets.