Amman, May 18 (Petra) -- The Jordan Farmers Union and Syria's General Union of Peasants signed a memorandum of understanding to exchange expertise on food security and to discuss expanding agricultural and trade exchange.
The agreement was signed during a visit to Damascus by President of the General Union of Jordanian Farmers Odeh Rawashdeh and board members. The delegation met with Syrian Minister of Agriculture Basel Al-Suweydan, in the presence of President of the General Union of Syrian Peasants Ghazwan al-Wazir.
Director General of the Jordan Farmers Union, Mahmoud Oran, told the Jordan News Agency (Petra) that strengthening complementary food security ties between Jordan and Syria is important, noting that both countries have extensive expertise in the agricultural sector.
Oran said Jordan is a key market for Syrian horticultural crops, while the Syrian market receives Jordanian vegetables available throughout the year. He also pointed to the potential benefit from the Jordan Valley’s comparative advantage in this field.
For his part, Al-Suweydan commended the deep-rooted historical ties between the two countries, recalling His Majesty King Abdullah II’s supportive positions toward the Syrian people during difficult circumstances.
He welcomed the signing of the MoU between the two unions and any agricultural cooperation with Jordan, stressing that Syria looks forward to benefiting from Jordanian expertise in technical agriculture, family-based projects, and rural women’s products.
Al-Wazir said the memorandum aims to strengthen cooperation in various agricultural fields, exchange technical and administrative expertise, develop production and food-processing chains, enhance trade exchange and agricultural exports, and introduce modern technologies.
He added that the two sides will begin exchanging official visits and technical delegations periodically, organizing joint workshops and training programs, and cooperating in agricultural processing, packaging, and wrapping in line with technical standards. Cooperation will also cover renewable energy, smart systems, and precision farming, as well as support for product marketing and opening new channels for trade exchange between the two countries.
//Petra// AO
