Khaberni - Minister of Agriculture, Saeb Khreisat, discussed with the World Bank mission the achievements of the Agricultural Resilience Enhancement and Value Chain Innovation (ARDI) program and the prospects for developing the agricultural sector.
This occurred during meetings of the World Bank mission for the Agricultural Resilience Enhancement and Value Chain Innovation (ARDI) program funded by the World Bank, assessing agricultural cooperatives and productive farmer groups; during which the progress made in the implementation of the program and the achievements in a number of projects and initiatives aimed at enhancing sustainable agricultural development were reviewed.
During the meeting, Khreisat highlighted the major accomplishments implemented within the program, which included water harvesting projects at the level of the desert and farm, preparation of tender documents for the national system to trace agricultural products, in addition to progress made in improving procedures for controlling foot-and-mouth disease and developing agricultural extension services. He also discussed the efforts made in training unemployed youth and qualifying them for jobs in agricultural professions, thereby contributing to creating job opportunities and enhancing economic development in rural areas.
For its part, the World Bank team discussed the achievement in evaluating agricultural cooperatives and productive farmer groups currently implemented in the kingdom, noting that this evaluation is the first of its kind at the level of the Middle East and North Africa and is expected to contribute to the development of the value chains for agricultural cooperatives and farmer groups, and enhance their production and marketing efficiency.
The World Bank team also praised the achievements made by the Ministry of Agriculture within the Agricultural Resilience Enhancement and Value Chain Innovation (ARDI) program, appreciating the efforts made to complete the environmental and social requirements and procedures associated with the program according to the best practices and standards adopted.
At the end of the meeting, Khreisat affirmed the Ministry of Agriculture’s full commitment to cooperating with the World Bank team and overcoming any obstacles that may face the implementation of the program in the future, emphasizing the importance of maintaining the achieved level of accomplishment and building on it to achieve the desired developmental goals and enhance the sustainability of the agricultural sector.
