Khaberni - Adnan Al-Khadam, the president of the Jordan Valley Farmers Union, called on the government to hold one of its ministerial sessions in the Jordan Valley to listen to the farmers, confirming that there are issues that could be decided immediately to support this important sector, considering it the largest employment sector in Jordan, and interconnected with other sectors and depends on some of them.
In his talk to "Al-Mamlaka" on Monday, Al-Khadam welcomed the Cabinet's decision to extend support for agricultural exports, considering it as part of royal directives to support the primary productive agricultural sector, which is considered the backbone of the state, pointing out that its implications encourage the Jordanian exporter to export, and affect the Jordanian farmer amid declining vegetable and fruit prices over the year.
The Cabinet approved in its session held on Monday, chaired by Prime Minister Jaafar Hassan, to extend the implementation of its previous decision to support agricultural exports of fresh vegetables and fruits by 50% of the cost of air freight, and by 25% of the cost of sea freight.
Al-Khadam noted that prices are below cost and in need of encouraging local production and supporting it, pointing out that the agricultural sector has faced major calamities due to disturbances in the region.
Al-Khadam hoped that the government's decision would also cover land transport, urging the government to promote exports to Syria and Lebanon, as the cost of land transport is lower, and confirming full reliance on land transport as it is less costly, especially since the countries to which it exports directly are close, such as Syria and the Gulf countries, while air transport is more expensive.
Al-Khadam emphasized that the interest of the farmers should not be at the expense of the local consumer, affirming sympathy with the citizen and the consumer, and pointing out that Jordan possesses self-sufficiency in agricultural materials that it used to import such as potatoes and onions.
Al-Khadam called for the construction of large dams to collect water that is lost in floods and becomes a water loss.
The decision comes in light of studying the impact of the vegetable and fruit export support program on the flow of exports to non-traditional markets, which showed clear success in the export support mechanism for vegetables and fruits, which increased by 38% compared to the same period of 2024, thus compensating for the 42% decrease in sea exports compared to 2025.
The decision also aims to expand the area of non-traditional markets, which increased from 12 markets in 2024 to about 17 markets in 2025, in light of entering new markets as a result of reducing shipping costs and facilitating access to them, according to the Cabinet.
