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Agro-Food Sector


The Jordan Valley offers rich and fertile soil with a unique climate to the entire region
Jordan is also the 8th producer of olive oil in the world

Key Advantages
Opportunities

Key Advantages

Unique Geography and Climate

  • The Jordan Valley offers rich and fertile soil with a unique climate to the Levant Area, being several degrees warmer than the rest of the region that is best exploited by producing high quality cash crops (vegetables, cut flowers, herbs) for the off season. 
  • Highlands receive the highest rainfall in Jordan and is the most vegetated region in the country. Suitable for olive trees, and tens of thousand of stone-fruit trees.
  • Dry climate is particularly well suited to production of crops, such as tomatoes that are susceptible to fungal diseases in more humid climates. 
  • Jordan Valley provides ready access for neighboring markets, especially during winter months where their climates do not allow agriculture.

Population Growth

  • Absolute demand has been driven by the rapid population growth in Jordan and the Middle East region. 
  • The growing number of tourists is also boosting demand for the Food &Beverage (F&B) sector through hotels and restaurants.

Changing trends

  • There is a trend for high value crops and food products 
  • Consumers are also increasingly purchasing frozen or ready made food products 
  • Growing retail sector and expanding super market chains pushed up the demand for new food products. 

Large pool of labor

  • More than 31,000 employees in F&B industry 
  • More than 3,400 agriculture students in Jordanian universities 
  • Highly competitive wages and talented workforce

Supportive structures

  • Several testing and inspection parties to ensure quality and safety standards 
  • Considerable size of packaging industry made up of 886 companies (in plastics, paper and paperboard, metal packaging, wood packaging and glass). 
  • Jordan recognizes itself in using the most developed and modern technologies that helps in saving water, such as drip systems, automatic low discharge sprayers, mini sprinklers, etc. In addition to the techniques used to increase treated waster water used for irrigation which is expected to reach 177 MCM in 2010, and 219 MCM in 2020.

Annual Production: F&B annual production was 1.7 billion USD in 2006 (13% increase from 2005 -12% Average Annual Growth in the past 5 years).

Exports: Production, processing, preserving, and manufacturing of food and beverages includes: tobacco, olive oil, other types of oil, bakery products, meat and dairy products, chocolates, and beverages and finally, cut-flowers.

Exports (2006): 91% of export is mainly to the Middle East, followed with Asia and Western Europe.

Cumulative Employment: more than 31 thousand

Investments: The sector comprises of 534 businesses. F&B cluster consisting of more than 30,000 companies with a cumulative turn-over of more than 1.2 million 

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Opportunities

  • Produce crops that are water efficient.
  • Production of food products for the Middle East and Gulf region Optimize potential for recycling water.
  • Create marketing firms for agricultural products.
  • R&D for innovative F&B products.
  • Cooperative Range land commercial sheep farm.
  • Creation of flavors and fragrances from local plants.
  • Develop Best Practice Environmental Option for Agriculture- Use of bio solids and waste water to farm less sensitive fodder crops for livestock.
  • Develop post Harvest Activities for Fruit and Vegetables that aims is to develop a farmer supported firm that would develop an orchard to market approach that aggregates production and establishes economic packing, storage and marketing functions.
  • Fruit Concentrate production.
  • Cottage farming, livestock production and processing of agricultural products.
  • Post-harvest companies.
  • Production, processing and exports for fresh fruits and vegetables: processing of tomatoes, potatoes, dates, asparagus, canning of different vegetables.
  • Grading, packing and cooling and fumigation.
  • High value crops such as medical and aromatic plans, fruits and trees.
  • Organic farming for the production of vegetables, medical and aromatic plants.
  • Expansion of flower and ornamental plant production for local and overseas markets.
  • Expansion of protected horticulture (greenhouses).
  • Increased use of localized irrigation systems in Irrigated Areas.
  • Production of animal feed from the farm's by product.
  • Utilization of the byproduct of date palms in the manufacture of containers, floor mats. Etc.

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