Khaberni - The central markets in Jordan are considered the beating heart of the food supply chain, as thousands of tons of vegetables and fruits from various regions of the kingdom gather daily before being transferred to wholesalers, retailers, restaurants, hotels, factories, and eventually for export. Amman Central Market stands out as the nation's primary reference for wholesale pricing, while the markets in Irbid and Zarqa play a crucial role in organizing the distribution movements in the northern and central governorates.
Despite the significant role of the central markets, they face several challenges that directly impact the farmers, price stability, and Jordan's ability to enhance the competitiveness of its agricultural products in both local and global markets. Weak infrastructure and cooling chains are among the main challenges, as most markets suffer from a lack of necessary refrigeration rooms, leading to high spoilage rates in sensitive products and increased food loss, directly causing losses to farmers and raising costs at the national level. The multiplication of intermediaries and high marketing costs reduce the farmers' share of the final product value, further widening the gap between farm prices and consumer sale prices.
Another challenge is price information. Despite the availability of daily wholesale price bulletins, access for farmers remains limited due to the absence of modern and effective digital channels that would allow producers to make quick marketing decisions and assist them in selecting the best timing and market for their sales. Additionally, challenges of quality and traceability due to non-unified inspection procedures within the markets pose difficulties for exports and limit the ability to meet the requirements of importing countries, especially regarding pesticide residues and phytosanitary standards.
The markets also suffer from significant congestion and poor organization of internal movement, leading to delays in unloading and loading operations and increased damage rates during these processes. Seasonal fluctuations in supply and reliance on import quantities lead to price instability and open the door for some parties to influence the market in certain seasons. All this occurs under legislation that still needs updating and more robust activation to ensure effective supervision and maximize the benefits from local production.
As a result of these challenges, Jordan faces national losses reflected in increased food loss, fluctuating farmer incomes, and unstable prices of vegetables and fruits for consumers, in addition to the diminished competitive ability of Jordanian products in foreign markets.
In this reality, there emerges a need for radical solutions that go beyond traditional methods, primarily the establishment of a national network of agricultural assembly points or specialized marketing associations in various regions of the kingdom. These associations can significantly transform the marketing system by reducing reliance on intermediaries, increasing the farmers' share from the final product price, and reducing food loss through providing advanced post-harvest services including sorting, grading, cooling, and packaging, and organizing transportation and supply operations to central markets, factories, hotels, and retail stores.
These associations also offer pre-harvest services such as technical and agricultural guidance, management of collective supply contracts, and assembling of multiple shipments to support export, in addition to the possibility of providing financial support, even if small, in cooperation with finance institutions, development and employment fund, agricultural lending agency, Ministry of Agriculture, and international organizations such as the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), and even private sector companies within corporate social responsibility programs.
Technical assessments indicate that the expected feasibility of these associations and assembly points is high on both local and national levels. It is expected to contribute to increasing farmers' incomes by 10-25%, reducing food loss by up to 40%, alongside opening more stable marketing channels, creating new employment opportunities in rural areas, improving the quality of agricultural products, and enhancing Jordan's export capabilities. This system also allows the state to build an accurate database about production and traded quantities, and enhances the ability to supervise, control quality, and support food security.
In the current phase, there is a need to form a national committee comprising the Ministry of Agriculture, Amman Municipality, Irbid and Zarqa markets, the Vegetable and Fruit Traders Syndicate, and related entities, with the aim of conducting a comprehensive survey of the infrastructure of the central markets and identifying priority needs, along with launching a digital pricing bulletin directed at farmers and traders, and establishing pilot assembly points or associations funded by the government or through partnerships with the private sector and international entities, and linking these points with tracking and marketing platforms that ensure product quality and enable Jordanian farmers to enter local and global markets with greater competitive capacity.
In conclusion
Developing the wholesale market system in Jordan is a national necessity to ensure the sustainability of the agricultural sector, reduce loss, increase farmers' income, and enhance food security. Moving towards establishing a network or associations of agricultural assembly points represents a strategic step that can bring about a significant transformation if available resources are invested according to a clear vision that not only manages routine work but also seeks to find practical radical solutions that make a noticeable difference in the lives of farmers and the national economy, ensuring that any available support is directed towards addressing real challenges rather than being employed in superficial achievements that neither the citizen nor the producer (farmer) can perceive.
#Supporting Jordanian farmers is a national duty that surpasses all other duties because it is the main arm for food security#
Sources and references
• Monthly Agricultural Import Reports page — Ministry of Agriculture.
• Report and Statistics of the Ministry of Agriculture (Wholesale Markets data and Irbid quantities log, etc.).
• Wholesale Markets System for Horticultural Products (System No. 129/2016).
• News and updates regarding the Amman Central Market (daily bulletins and incoming quantities).
• Amman Central Market portal and management of brokers/tenants.
