Agriculture Ministry to establish national seed bank — Jordan

Agriculture Ministry to establish national seed bank — Jordan

Agriculture Minister Khalid Hneifat said that the ministry is working on establishing a national seed bank to preserve local and indigenous seeds, in cooperation with the Hashemite University, which donated JD3 million to fund the project.

His remarks were made on Monday during a media forum organised by the Centre for Defending the Freedom of Journalists (CDFJ), in cooperation with Zain.

Hneifat also noted that wheat cultivation in Jordan in a “self-sufficient” manner requires roughly one billion cubic metres of water. Meanwhile, the agricultural sector consumes 50 per cent of Jordan’s water budget, amounting to 3 billion cubic metres annually.

Jordan’s current wheat stock can cover national consumption for 15 months, according to Hneifat, who noted that “bread prices didn’t witness any rise”, despite the global spike in wheat prices.

He also described studies concerning the danger of food security in Jordan as “inaccurate”, adding that the Kingdom ranked 49th internationally on the 2021 Global Food Security Index, an improvement of 15 places since 2019.

Hneifat pointed out the economic significance of the agricultural sector, as it represents roughly 15 per cent of the country’s overall exports, which reach more than 60 countries.

The sector also contributes 5.5 per cent to GDP, and provides job opportunities