USAID conducts workshop entitled Assessment of Agricultural Production

The workshop tackled irrigation issues in the Jordan Valley area, as well as Agricultural marketing issues including trade, production, transportation, storage and packaging.

As a solution to the ongoing water crisis faced by the agricultural sector, various issues were raised including the introduction of a new mechanism aimed at decreasing water demand, by selecting high value crops that require low water consumption.

Banana production, a high water consumption crop, consumes more than 1200 cubic meters per dunum which substantially increases water consumption and decreases production efficiency.

As a possible solution to this problem, the protection policy levied on imported bananas, including a quantitative duty of JOD 250/ton and a 30% tariff, should then be eliminated.

The removal of such tariffs will in turn reduce the cost of imported banana, citrus, and apple fruits which will encourage farmers to focus on producing other fruits and vegetables that are high in value and require low water consumption.

This workshop also aimed to provide attendees with the know-how of enhanced and efficient irrigation systems used in farming, since on-farm efficiency in Jordan is still below 55%, in comparison to 85% in neighboring countries.

Following this workshop, a roundtable meeting, in collaboration with the exporters and producers of fruits and vegetables, will be scheduled to discuss the action plan and recommendations for the future.

The USAID-funded Sustainable Achievement of Business Expansion and Quality Program (SABEQ) is a five year broad economic development initiative implemented by BearingPoint, Inc. and a sizeable team of international and Jordanian partner firms.

By both supporting improvements in the business environment and providing assistance to expand innovation and productivity in Jordanian businesses, to support the main objective of building up the private sector as a powerful engine of economic growth.