(MENAFN- Jordan News Agency)
Amman, Sep. 25 (Petra) -- The agriculture ministers of Jordan, Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon met in Amman on Sunday in an effort to strengthen agricultural exchange between the four nations and explore solutions to food insecurity.
The gathering is a follow-up to a similar meeting held in Beirut in July this year and aims to examine efforts made by the participating nations to advance cooperation in agriculture and food security.
During the two-day meetings, agriculture ministers will also discuss ways to improve their countries' food security, address water scarcity, prevent the spread of infectious diseases, and combat desert locusts.
In addition, they will develop a plan to promote trade and investment exchange, including the exchange of fertilizers, pesticides, medications, veterinary vaccines, improved seeds, and plant and animal products. To facilitate trade, a unified agricultural calendar will also be created.
The ministers will meet with the regional directors of the various international organizations operating in their countries to discuss ways to collaborate in the areas of food security, climate change, agricultural commodity flow, and agricultural investment prospects. Jordan will also consider acting as a regional and strategic food security observatory.
In his opening remarks, Minister of Agriculture Khaled Hanaifat highlighted the serious challenges faced by the countries of the region, particularly those related to climate change, in light of the successive crises, wars, and turmoil that have disrupted the majority of agricultural, tourism, cultural, and intraregional trade activities.
'The four countries have endured international crises over the last two years, beginning with the corona virus and its effects on individuals, the economy, supply chains, and cross-border trade relationships, followed by the Russian-Ukrainian crisis, which directly affected food supply,' he said.
Hanaifat also stated that the effects of inflation and the rise in oil prices have resulted in an increase in the prices of production inputs and energy-related services such as shipping in all its forms, sea, air, and land, prompting the need to accelerate the implementation of common solutions to mitigate the crisis with the least possible losses.
'Jordan was aware of the challenges early on and managed to develop, adopt, and implement a comprehensive food security strategy in collaboration with United Nations organizations, during which food security-related policies were reviewed, while creating a national umbrella to ensure the availability, continuity, and stability of food during crises,' he said.
On a regional level, the minister emphasized the importance of establishing a regional food security observatory, where local and international expertise can come together to collect and analyze food security data, allowing decision-makers to predict food crises, develop appropriate avoidance policies, and find effective and urgent solutions.
He also expressed Jordan's willingness to host the UN World Food Program's (WFP) soon-to-be-established regional center for relief and emergency aid, which will play a critical role in improving regional food security.
Hanaifat reaffirmed the need for such meetings to be held at all levels between the four nations to discuss common issues, such as agricultural and veterinary quarantine, transport and transit procedures, and to develop joint projects in collaboration with international organizations.
He referred to the outcomes of the first meeting of the Ministers of Agriculture of the four countries in Lebanon, as well as the outcomes of technical committee meetings in Iraq, highlighting a shared desire to overcome obstacles. The minister praised the participation of international organizations, particularly the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and the United Nations Development Program, as well as regional organizations such as the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development, World Food Program, and many others.
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