ELZUBI to Al‑Ghad: Rising Meat Prices… Feed Crisis or Lack of Support?

Dr. Fadel ELZUBI, food security expert, warned that skyrocketing feed prices—especially barley and bran—are crippling livestock breeders. Years of drought have wiped out natural pastures, forcing reliance on costly imports.
Government subsidies, he noted, remain too limited: just 20 kilograms per sheep annually, leaving breeders to buy at unaffordable market rates. Even loans and international projects cannot offset the fact that Jordan produces only 45% of its meat needs, importing the rest from over 21 countries.
Consumers now face record prices—local lamb above 13 dinars per kilo, calves at 11–12 dinars—while some large breeders export to neighbors for hard currency, shrinking domestic supply.
ELZUBI stressed the crisis is both soaring costs and broken support mechanisms. Immediate relief is vital, but only a bold, long term strategy—reviving rangelands, managing water, reforming production chains, and regulating trade—can protect the sector. “Food security is built on decisive action, not declarations,” he said.