Conditions to launch agricultural investments in Sarhan and Al-Hammad basins announced

AMMAN--The Ministry of Agriculture and the department of lands and Survey (DLS) on Thursday announced conditions and mechanisms for investment in Sarhan and Al-Hammad basins, according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra.اضافة اعلان

Secretary-General of the Ministry of Agriculture, Mohammad Hiyari, said the most important priorities of the national plan for sustainable agriculture are land investment, which set the blanket lease contract that regulated decision of the agricultural land investment project in the basins.

This decision provides 36,000 dunums, with 36 investment opportunities, distributed over 1,000 each, with a water reservoir of 24 million cubic metres, Hiyari pointed out.

This project constitutes an opportunity for companies and cooperative societies to invest by submitting applications to the Department of Lands and Surveys for leasing purposes, he noted.

The applications will then be examined by a technical committee at the Ministry of Agriculture, he noted, adding that attention will be paid to potential investors, who provide a clear feasibility study and funding to projects with industrial or export impact, or capability to help plug the local market needs, he said.

Through this investment, he noted the government does not seek to compete with Jordanian farmers, but rather stimulate investment, and reflect the added value through job opportunities on the local community.

As a top condition for investment, local community should operate 75% of the projects' needs, he pointed out.

For his part, the DLS Acting Director, Mohammad Sawafin, said this project came in implementation of the Royal directives to enhance food security, create job opportunities and best use Treasury lands.

The total area of Al-Hammad basin is estimated at about 18.1 million dunums, of which the state Treasury owns an area of 14.88mln dunums, and its reclaimable lands stand at 7.8mln dunums.

Meanwhile, the total area of the Sarhan Basin lands is estimated at 12.7mln dunums, of which the Treasury area is about 11.6mln dunums, and the reclaimable Treasury lands exceed 1 million dunums.

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