Khaberni - The Minister of Government Communication, the official spokesperson for the government, Dr. Mohammad Al-Momani, announced the cabinet decisions made during its session held in Zarqa province today, Sunday.
Al-Momani confirmed in a press conference held after the session that the visit of His Majesty King Abdullah II to Zarqa province a month ago was to underline the royal direct interest in the province and its developmental and service priorities. Based on these directives, the government reaffirms its commitment to follow up on the implementation and translate the priorities into tangible projects that serve the citizens of the province.
He pointed out that the cabinet reviewed the progress and achievements in the development vision for Zarqa province, which was agreed upon with representatives from various sectors in the province during the first cabinet session held last year.
The Minister of Government Communication presented during the press conference an overview of the programs and projects included in the developmental vision for Zarqa province in various sectors, totaling 155 projects and programs over three years, with an estimated cost of more than 800 million dinars.
Regarding the cabinet's decisions made during the session, Al-Momani explained that the cabinet decided to approve the commencement of purchasing the wheat and barley crops (seeds and ports) produced in the agricultural season 2025 / 2026 on account of open trading at the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply and in coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture and the Jordan Cooperative Organization, as has been done in previous years.
The decision, according to Al-Momani, involves allocating 45 million dinars compared to 19 million dinars last year, for purchasing the grains expected to be received from farmers, estimated to be around 100 - 110 thousand tons, which is more than double the previous season estimated at 40 thousand tons.
As per the decision, the purchasing prices for wheat and barley of the (seed) type were set at 520 dinars per ton of wheat and 440 dinars per ton for barley. While for the (ports) type, the purchasing price was approved at 420 dinars per ton of wheat and 370 dinars per ton of barley.
The decision also included continuing to delegate the central committee for purchasing grains to announce future purchases of grains at the end of the delivery season and at the time deemed appropriate to announce the buying price for the following season as support for farmers to cultivate their lands according to the adopted mechanism.
Furthermore, the cabinet decided to sell the seeds to the farmers for the upcoming season 2026 / 2027 at the same purchasing price, with the government bearing the costs of sieving and sterilization amounting to 75 dinars per ton for the expected quantities to be sold to the farmers.
These decisions aim to support and encourage farmers and urge them to increase the cultivated areas with wheat and barley due to their strategic importance.
Al-Momani also revealed that the cabinet has approved a revised regulation for licensing exchange companies for the year 2026, in a step aimed to support the exchange sector and ensure the sustainability of its operations and competitiveness under the current economic conditions. Under the new system, existing exchange companies are given a new deadline to rectify and adjust their status extending until January 1, 2028, to avoid legal and economic consequences that would arise from the expiry of the previous deadlines, which ends at the end of this month. The revised system includes a package of stimulation measures aimed at supporting establishments in this sector, highlighting in easing and facilitating regulatory and financial requirements imposed on them, in addition to granting companies more flexibility to diversify their activities and revenue sources that enhance their financial solvency. The decision specifically targets protecting the stability of the exchange sector as an essential artery of the national economy, and ensuring the continuity of offering its services to the citizens efficiently in various provinces. This step was also taken to avoid the negative impacts that would have arisen from the exit of companies that had not been able to adjust their conditions, especially since a number of them hold regulatory importance and influential market share, thus ensuring the preservation of job stability and income security for those employed in this sector.
The cabinet also approved a revised regulation for Zaha Cultural Center for the year 2026.
The amendments aim to enhance the legal and administrative framework for the operation of Zaha Cultural Center, organizing the affairs of the center’s management and its powers, to align with practical developments and actual needs, keeping pace with developments and updates for the purposes of embodying the center's goals in a more flexible and modern way.
The amendments are meant to strengthen the role of the center, which was established in 1998 and currently includes 25 branches spread across the capital Amman and provinces of the kingdom. It was awarded the King Abdullah II ibn Al-Hussein Medal of Excellence of the first degree for its role in promoting social and volunteer work, organizing programs and activities aimed at encouraging children to innovate, and establishing parks to serve this segment. It also won the Hussein bin Abdullah Award for Volunteer Work in 2023, the second place in the category of institutional volunteer work.
The cabinet also decided to approve the recommendations of the committee for settling outstanding issues between taxpayers and the Income and Sales Tax Department, by settling the tax status of 710 companies and taxpayers, under the provisions of the Income Tax Law and the General Sales Tax Law.
This decision aims to support economic activities, stimulate them, and enable them to fulfill their obligations under the law.
Regarding the decisions related to Zarqa province, Al-Momani revealed the approval to use an area of 20 dunams of forest land to establish a school for military culture affiliated with the armed forces in the district of Bireen in Zarqa province.
In another context, the cabinet decided during the session to refer the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Education for Vocational and Technical Education Dr. Mohammad Subhi Mohammad Ghaith, and the General Director of the Hejaz Railway Corporation Engineer Zahi Ahmad Abdul Rahman Khalil to retirement.
Al-Momani began the press conference by affirming a sense of pride and honour in our national football team and its historic participation in the World Cup finals, representing a significant national achievement, emphasizing that it is our collective duty to continue supporting them and standing behind them, both publicly and in the media, reflecting the image of Jordan and the unity of Jordanians behind their flag and national team.
Al-Momani also mentioned the decision to implement the death penalty against convicts in cases related to terrorism and drug trafficking, after all stages of litigation were completed and the judgments became final, emphasizing that this decision embodies the rule of law and achieves justice for the souls of the martyrs from our armed forces and the heroic security services who died while performing their duty in protecting the nation and its citizens, sacrificing their lives in defense of the nation's security and stability.
The Minister of Government Communication answered questions and inquiries from journalists during the press conference, reaffirming the government's commitment to continuous communication with the media and always providing accurate information.
Responding to a question about the free zone in Zarqa, the Minister of Government Communication confirmed that the decisions taken by the government regarding vehicles were in the interest of the citizens and consumers who were suffering from the absence of standards ensuring quality, stating there is no going back on these decisions because the goal is to preserve the public interest and market balance.
