Amman, Sept. 16 (Petra) - The Arab East Conference for Agricultural Exports 2026 ended on Wednesday by adopting the "Amman Declaration for Agricultural Integration and Exports." Held September 15–16 under the patronage of Agriculture Minister Saeb Khreisat, the summit brought together Lebanese Agriculture Minister Nizar Hani, Palestinian Agriculture Minister Rizq Salmiya, and Syrian Deputy Agriculture Minister Mohammad Miqdadi, alongside diplomats, international organizations, and private sector representatives.
The two-day conference drew over 1,000 agricultural and business leaders, importers from 25 countries, and 35 expert speakers. Attendees participated in 218 direct business-to-business (B2B) sessions, securing agency agreements, trade contracts, and new channels for regional cooperation.
Participants agreed on eight core action items: - Establish a permanent regional committee to oversee the transition of recommendations into a formal roadmap.
- Build an executive administrative office, create a comprehensive regional database, and launch a dedicated trade portal.
- Adopt an initiative to harmonize or grant mutual recognition for agricultural, health, and technical certificates.
- Create a shared regional agricultural calendar to track seasonal crop cycles.
- Form three specialized technical committees focused on transport and logistics, investment and finance, and quality certification and technology.
- Conduct a feasibility study on founding a unified regional company for agricultural marketing.
Track B2B agreements and host follow-up trade meetings throughout the year.
- Establish the conference as an annual event, with plans to expand Iraqi participation in the next edition.
Khreisat credited national carrier Royal Jordanian in driving the Kingdom to become a regional logistics hub through new cargo routes, expanded fleets, and a modern freight facility.
Backed by government air freight subsidies, these efforts expanded Jordanian exports to Europe, boosted contract farming, and brought high-demand crops to new global markets, he said.
//Petra// HA
