Amman, Aug. 4 (Petra) – His Majesty King Abdullah II has called for a proactive approach to bolster the kingdom's food security by ensuring strategic food reserves remain sufficient and safe to cover national needs for extended periods while continuously monitoring markets, supply chains, domestic production, and inventory management and preparing to address price increases that may precede, accompany, or follow crises.

The directive came after the king chaired a meeting to review government measures aimed at strengthening energy and food security. The approach underscores that food security extends beyond the availability of commodities to building adequate and secure strategic reserves; continuously monitoring markets, domestic production, and supply chains; and developing proactive plans to ensure sustainable supplies and enhance Jordan's ability to manage crises and their repercussions before, during, and after they occur.

Minister of Agriculture Saeb Khraisat told the Jordan News Agency (Petra) that the king reviewed government measures to safeguard food security, including proactive planning, inventory management, and the importance of partnership with the private sector. He said the king stressed that food reserves must remain sufficient, continuously available, safe, and of high quality.

Khraisat said the Higher Council for Food Security holds regular meetings, including sessions dedicated to continuously updating plans to secure strategic reserves at reasonable prices.

Jordan has achieved self-sufficiency in several agricultural commodities, including fruits and vegetables, with production of some items reaching 119% of domestic demand, he said. Surplus production has been exported to support farmers, while agricultural exports rose 18% in the first half of 2026 compared with the same period last year.

He said the government's food security plans are based on consumption needs, with weekly meetings under the agricultural calendar framework monitoring production, consumption, and export volumes to guide decisions that protect strategic food reserves over safe and adequate timeframes.

Khraisat said recent reports issued by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) place Jordan in a strong position across several indicators related to healthy diets and food safety. He said the assessments, based on monitoring production, reserves, and a broad range of performance indicators, reflected the country's implementation of clear strategies, effective governance, and measures to ensure safe food supplies.

Jordan has also recorded a bumper harvest this year, with wheat and barley production reaching 120,000 tonnes so far and expected to increase to 130,000 tonnes in the coming days, roughly three times the levels recorded in previous years, he said.

The government has supported farmers by purchasing wheat and barley at JD520 ($733) per tonne, compared with a global price of about JD270, to encourage cultivation of these strategic crops.

Khraisat said Jordan now holds grain stocks sufficient for a full year, well above the three to four months generally considered adequate. He added that the king had placed particular emphasis on ensuring both the availability and safety of food, noting that the Ministry of Agriculture maintains strict oversight of strategic reserves, including meat supplies.

He said the government continuously monitors inventories, replenishes stocks as they are consumed, and maintains reserves at levels considered safe and sufficient.

Khraisat said His Majesty the King consistently stresses the importance of partnership with the private sector, describing the relationship as complementary and based on the highest levels of coordination and support to ensure continuous, adequate, and secure food reserves.

Fadel Al-Zubi, former FAO ambassador to the United Nations and secretary-general of the National Alliance Against Hunger and Malnutrition (Najmah), said the king's remarks amounted to strategic governance designed to prepare Jordan for future shocks and crises by managing food security reserves through a continuously updated information system tracking developments in Jordan, the region, and globally.

He said the king has maintained a strong focus on food security since the 2008 global financial crisis, through subsequent challenges including refugee inflows, the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine war, the Oct. 7, 2023 events, the Iran-U.S.-Israel conflict, disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, and damage to global supply chains. He said Jordan's preparedness under the king's leadership had enabled the country to maintain food security throughout those crises.

Al-Zubi said Jordan ranks highly on four global food security indicators and has consistently maintained full marks for strategic reserves during successive crises. He said reserves of some commodities are sufficient for up to 12 months, exceeding regional performance despite repeated external shocks.

He said Jordan's progress was the result of sound planning, a comprehensive social protection system, policies aimed at safeguarding citizens' welfare, a strategic reserve policy covering up to 12 months, and a strong food safety framework.

Al-Zubi said the king had highlighted two essential principles for food security: that reserves should be "sufficient" and "safe." He said these principles imply maintaining stocks covering eight to 10 months, with secure reserves extending to 12 months, while continuously monitoring markets, supply chains, domestic production, and inventories and preparing measures to protect citizens from price increases before, during, and after regional crises.

He added that the king had emphasized proactive food security planning to protect strategic reserves and shield public finances from sharp price increases while strengthening partnerships with the private sector to secure, store, and improve the management of food reserves, making food security one of the Jordanian state's highest priorities.

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, Jordan adopted a nine-year National Food Security Strategy covering 2021-2030 under direct directives from His Majesty King Abdullah. The strategy identifies agriculture as the cornerstone of food security while recognizing the expanded role of the industrial and commercial private sector in ensuring sustainable food supplies in a country facing severe water scarcity.

The strategy also addresses challenges stemming from regional conflicts, forced displacement, disrupted supply chains, and climate change, all of which have placed increasing pressure on food production.

Jordanian institutions have implemented the strategy and its proactive plans, enabling the country to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, ongoing regional instability, and the Russia-Ukraine war. Authorities have adapted to changing conditions through close public-private cooperation to ensure the availability of high-quality food at reasonable prices despite global inflationary pressures.

In 2020, His Majesty King Abdullah presented a set of principles during the Borlaug Dialogue that later served as a roadmap for addressing the impact of crises on food security at the regional and international levels. The Jordanian government used those principles in developing the National Food Security Strategy and its implementation plan, beginning with the establishment of the National Food Security Committee in cooperation with ministries, government agencies, the private sector, civil society organizations, international organizations, and development partners.

Jordan later institutionalized food security through the establishment of the Higher Council for Food Security, contributing to improved performance on international food security indicators and elevating the issue to a national priority amid urbanization, globalization, climate change, volatile global prices, and the Syrian refugee crisis.

Jordan's first agricultural policy, introduced in 1992, focused on food security, followed by numerous studies and reports commissioned by local and international organizations.

The National Food Security Strategy is intended as a direct response to the country's highest-level priority of strengthening food security and as a framework for national and international cooperation, recognizing food security as an integral component and prerequisite for national, human, and regional security.

The strategy also seeks to position Jordan as a regional food security hub by developing storage capacity, logistics services, agricultural production, food processing, irrigation systems, greenhouse farming, technology transfer, and emergency support services for countries across the region.

//Petra// AF