Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour on Thursday, met with President of the Jordan Valley Farmers Union Adnan Khaddam, as well the union's board members in the presence of Agriculture Minister Akef Zu'bi, Labour Minister Nidal Qatamin and Director General of the Agricultural Credit Corporation Director General Mohammad Hiyari.

Ensour was briefed on challenges and concerns facing the agricultural sector in the Jordan Valley, mainly those related to marketing due to the current situation in the region, and the closure of borders that led to a decline in prices of agricultural products and huge losses for farmers.

The union's president and board members called for compensating farmers for losses they incurred due to the frost spell, and facilitating the process of exporting agricultural products. They also stressed the need for exerting further efforts with Arab countries to give priority to Jordanian products and commodities.

The prime minister stressed the government's keenness to support the agricultural sector and give it the economic and social importance it deserves.

He also reviewed efforts exerted by the government with Arab countries including Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to solve marketing problems that face agricultural products and ensure their entry to Iraq through Kuwait.

The agriculture minister pointed to measures taken by the government to protect local products through halting the imports of a number of agricultural products and facilitating the process of exporting Jordanian agricultural products.

The labour minister said that third of the 100,000 guest laborers in agricultural sector work in the Jordan Valley, noting that it is the only sector that did not stop the employment of guest workers

Source : Petra