Iraq, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon sign a cooperation agreement at the level of agriculture ministers. The Covid-19, the war and the transport crisis put the supply chain at risk around the world. Up to 30% of grain production is in danger. The region is also grappling with the threat of drought, which has turned agricultural areas into arid lands.
Amman () – The agriculture ministers of Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Syria have reached an agreement on food security in a moment of profound uncertainty on world production and trade in the wake of the Russian war in Ukraine. In recent months, the World Bank had also given the voice of alarm for the region, highlighting -after the uprisings of the Arab Spring of 2011- the risk of disturbances and new conflicts triggered by hunger, as a result of the military escalation at the gates of Europe. Hence the decision of some countries to join forces and counteract the emergency by presenting themselves as a united front.
As reported Jordan News Agency (Petra), the Minister of Agriculture of Amman, Khalid Hneifat, organized in recent days a summit attended by his counterpart from Damascus, Muhammad Qatna, the Iraqi Muhammad Khafaji and the Lebanese Abbas Hajj Hassan. During the meeting, representatives of the four countries discussed how to “solve problems” in the face of “worsening” “world events.”
At the end of the meeting, the Jordanian Hneifat announced the approval of a World Food Program (WFP) project to create a “regional center” for food security, based in Jordan. The ministers agreed to strengthen “cooperation” between the States in the field of food production and integrate the association in the field of “agricultural marketing”, with the valorization of local raw materials. The objective is to support the work of the Jordanian-Palestinian Agricultural Marketing Company in the exchange of goods and to conclude contracts that also include non-traditional agriculture.
The agreement comes at a time of growing demand for food, sharp price increases and the need to increase strategic reserves in the face of the impending global crisis. Covid-19, restrictive measures that have hampered trade and now Moscow’s war against kyiv have compounded the damage to supply chains and commodities in international markets. Today, up to 30% of world cereal production is in danger.
Added to this are the increasingly frequent periods of drought and water scarcitywhich have dried up crops throughout the region, starting with Syria and Iraq, which depend on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Faced with the growing threat, Amman, Damascus, Beirut and Baghdad are responding by joining efforts to develop infrastructure, boost investment and increase the efficiency of their food industries.
