AMMAN — Farmers
and sector leaders on Monday urged the government to subsidize fodder used to
fatten lambs alongside other types of fodder.
The
Ministry of Agriculture supports livestock breeders by subsidizing barley and bran by
around JD80 per tonne; they normally cost JD258, and JD175 when subsidized.
اضافة اعلان
Secretary-General
of the
Farmers Union Mahmoud Al-Oran told
Jordan News that lamb traders
resort to fattening lambs. Lamb breeders, who keep livestock for a long time,
often face challenges, such as lack of pastures due to drought; those who use
fodder to fatten them, on the other hand, can buy and sell any time, depending
on the profit margin they get.
Still, Oran called
for subsidizing fattening fodder as it would eventually support breeders who
then may sell more lambs for better prices.
He also suggested
that fattening fodder could be subsidized only during a certain period only:
the season when lambs are bought.
Oran commended the
ministry’s efforts to weed out fake holdings, through which some people get
subsidized fodder and sell it back for full price.
The Ministry of
Agriculture conducts yearly surveys to find out the real number of livestock
and determine farmers eligible to receive subsidized fodder. Last year, the
number stood at 3.8 million heads, according to
Lawrence Majali, spokesperson
of the ministry, who said that counting is still going on.
Majali said that
farmers can visit agriculture directorates and fill in a form with the number
of livestock they own, and based on that, it is decided whether they can obtain
subsidized fodder.
Zaal Kawalit, head
of Livestock Breeders Association, told
Jordan News that subsidizing
fattening fodder helps breeders as it shortens the breeding period.
Kawalit suggested
setting special prices for subsidized fodder used to fatten lambs, different
from that for fodder for breeding.
Abdullah Wahsh, a
lamb fattener, told
Jordan News that fodder is “too expensive” and
reduces the margin of profit, sometimes even causing losses.
Wahsh also asked
that fodder for fattening be subsidized and for reducing the price of fodder in
general, which would benefit all, including consumers, who will get meat at
lower prices.
He said that he quit the
job after 10 years because profits were not enough to cover the cost of fodder,
employees, and medicine.
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