Minister attends inauguration of Jordanian-Chinese Agricultural Company

AMMAN — Minister of Agriculture Khaled Hneifat stressed the importance of employing technology and artificial intelligence (AI) in the agricultural sector, which contributes to improving its performance and achieving food security, by keeping pace with the world developments, especially in water-saving technologies that expand production.

During the inauguration of the Jordanian-Chinese Agricultural Company, which specialises in modern technologies, Hneifat said that the Kingdom's agricultural exports rose to approximately JD1.5 billion, growing by 6.9 per cent during the past year, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Hneifat noted that the government, under the Economic Modernisation Vision (EMV) and National Plan for Sustainable Agriculture, is "keen" to attract investments in the agricultural sector and address the challenges facing investors in this industry, as part of its efforts to establish Jordan as a "regional centre for food security.”

He noted that Jordan has achieved "high rates of self-sufficiency" in many food commodities, mainly vegetables, fruits, meat, poultry, eggs, olive oil and milk products, despite the "significant" increase in population due to refugee crises and decrease in the amount of water available for agriculture.

Chairman of Jibreen Group Majd Jibreen said that the Jordanian-Chinese Agricultural Company is the result of a "strategic" partnership with China Green Agriculture, a Jordanian company specialising in modern agricultural technologies, praising the Kingdom's "attractive" investor climate.

The company will specialise in AI and Internet of Things (IoT) solutions and their integration into agriculture and will provide the latest agricultural technologies at "competitive prices", he pointed out.

The company, he said, will secure agricultural firms with a "significant" opportunity to develop their products and farms, which would ensure them a "competitive" edge on a global level.

Chairman of China Green Agriculture Chen Li said that the company offers comprehensive solutions, including the design, construction, and operation of smart agricultural gardens, development of indoor plant production plants, and integration of IoT technologies into the agricultural sector.

Li noted that among the company's key projects are King Salman Park in Saudi Arabia and a park in Wenzhou, China.

During the opening ceremony, a memorandum of understanding was signed with Jordanian companies, one of which was originally launched at the Agricultural Innovation Incubator at National Centre for Agricultural Research, the scientific arm of the Ministry of Agriculture.