Today, Thursday, Senate President Faisal Al-Fayez chaired a meeting of a joint committee with a number of concerned ministers, to discuss the water and agricultural reality in the Kingdom, with the aim of finding effective solutions that address the various current challenges of the two sectors.

The meeting of the joint committee formed by the Financial and Economic Committee headed by Al-Ain Jamal Al-Sarayrah, and the Agriculture and Water Committee, headed by Al-Ain Akef Al-Zoubi, came in the presence of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Local Administration Tawfiq Krishan, Minister of Water and Irrigation Eng. Muhammad Al-Najjar, Minister of Agriculture Eng. Khaled Al-Hanaifat, and Director General of the Department Land and survey by proxy, Muhammad Al-Sawafin.

The Speaker of the Senate, in the presence of his second deputy, Dr. Raja’i Muasher, and his assistant, Mufleh Al-Rahimi, pointed out the importance of benefiting from the untapped agricultural lands in various regions of the Kingdom, especially the Badia region, and enhancing ways to benefit from the partially exploited areas, such as the Wadi Araba region.

He stressed the importance of getting out of the mold of traditional agriculture and heading towards producing the crops that are constantly required in the Arab and international markets, pointing out that there are countries in the region that have expressed their willingness to import the Kingdom’s agricultural products that are imported from Europe.

Al-Fayez stressed the importance of attracting major investments to advance the reality of the agricultural and water sectors, through the establishment of productive projects that follow modern technology in operation and production and provide job opportunities that would reduce unemployment rates and push the economy forward.

He pointed to the importance of expediting the translation of the Jordanian national carrier line project (Aqaba – Amman) to desalinate sea water and transfer it to the governorates of the Kingdom, because of its importance in finding water solutions and providing operational opportunities for national employment.

Under royal directives, it recently formed a supreme committee to work on implementing an agricultural map, which was prepared by various state institutions in a holistic manner at the level of existing farms, and value-added crops that may open export windows.

The committee aims to find an optimal solution for the use of agricultural land by citizens, which is included in the agricultural map within a studied equation that takes into account the most efficient use of water resources, in order to stimulate employment and employment at the level of the Kingdom.

For his part, Minister Krishan said that the agricultural map project falls into three main axes: food security, self-reliance, and addressing part of unemployment, pointing out that there are some challenges related to water, and solutions are being worked on.

For his part, Minister Al-Najjar said that there is a plan in place to reduce the time period for implementing the project in partnership with the private sector (BOT), at a financial cost of more than two billion dollars, and with quantities of up to 300 million cubic meters.

He added, that the financial and technical offers for the project are likely to end this July, and there are studies related to the energy needed for the project and it is expected to end next August, especially since the project needs 250 megawatts of electricity. It is also likely that studies related to the environmental impact of the project will be completed in the month This July.

Al-Najjar indicated that the “financial closure” related to the project, which is expected to start in 2027, needs 8 or 9 months, in addition to time to design and find financing, indicating that efforts are being made to find financing, in addition to communicating with banks and various authorities. Finance.

For his part, Minister Hanifat said that the Ministry of Agriculture began two months ago to implement a system and plan that extends to 5 years, and aims to raise the contribution of the agricultural sector to the GDP from 5.6 percent to 7.5 percent.

He pointed to the ministry’s orientation to food manufacturing, through the establishment of 3 factories concerned with drying tomatoes and manufacturing all kinds of concentrates, in addition to milling, explaining that the ministry also established a marketing company.

Al-Hanaifat indicated that a package of agricultural and rural projects worth 35 million dinars has been allocated in the form of interest-free loans, consisting of 4 axes, including supporting and stimulating quality agricultural projects, financing the purchase of animal production requirements, and empowering rural women in the areas of agricultural and rural development and unemployed youth.

Al-Sawafin spoke about the Supreme Committee, which was formed to lay the foundations for enabling young people to use the lands of the state treasury, which constitutes about 62 percent of the Kingdom’s area, 51 percent of which is in Ma’an Governorate, which constitutes 86 percent of the governorate’s lands.

For their part, the notables talked about the importance of agricultural investment and working with all available means to raise the sector’s contribution to the GDP, by addressing its various challenges and motivating its workers, which may address part of the increasing unemployment figures.

They pointed out the importance of focusing on the establishment of small and medium projects related to the water and agriculture sectors, especially projects that come in the form of initiatives by young people, a translation of the principle of self-reliance, and the importance of giving priority to projects that adopt smart solutions and employ modern technology, especially in the field of energy.

(Petra)