Limited Markets or Weak Competitiveness of Local Products?
Unprecedented Performance Food security expert Dr. Fadel ELZUBI explained that Jordan’s agricultural sector achieved unprecedented performance in 2024, as agricultural exports surpassed the threshold of 1.5 billion dinars for the first time, rising from about 1.1 billion dinars in 2023 with growth approaching 39%. The sector recorded real growth of 6.9%, topping all national economic sectors and raising its contribution to GDP to about 5.1% at constant prices.
ELZUBI added that agricultural exports today account for nearly one-sixth of national exports, with the sector employing about 3.5% of the labor force, in addition to tens of thousands engaged in transport, packaging, and processing activities linked to it.
Data from the Ministry of Agriculture confirm the momentum: exported quantities in the first half of the current year rose to 281,000 tons compared to 245,000 tons in the same period of 2025, an increase of 14%. Of these, 197,000 tons were vegetables and 83,000 tons fruits.
ELZUBI noted that Jordanian products reach more than 100 markets, yet Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Iraq alone absorb about 62% of exports. This leaves the sector hostage to fluctuations in a few markets—some of which have previously closed or faced disruptions due to political or logistical reasons.
Additional challenges include higher transport and shipping costs following Red Sea disruptions, stricter phytosanitary and food safety requirements in advanced markets, limited adoption of international quality certifications such as GlobalG.A.P, HACCP, and ISO 22000 among Jordanian farms, weak cold chain infrastructure and grading centers, absence of a unified national brand, and limited food processing capacity to convert surplus into value-added products.
Competition is fierce from Morocco, Egypt, Turkey, Spain, and the Netherlands in nearly identical products. Moreover, the share of processed products in Jordan’s agricultural exports remains modest compared to fresh produce.
ELZUBI stressed that the issue is not product quality itself—vegetables and fruits from the Jordan Valley enjoy a rare seasonal advantage due to year-round production in the lowest agricultural basin on earth, while Medjool dates and Jordanian olive oil have a solid reputation that sometimes rivals regional counterparts. Yet relative advantage does not automatically translate into competitive advantage: premium European and Gulf markets demand documented quality backed by certifications and traceability systems. Bridging this gap is precisely the area of work required.
He added: “Lower use of certain pesticides compared to competing countries gives Jordanian products a good starting point toward stricter markets.”
ELZUBI emphasized that closing this gap is not a sectoral luxury but a macroeconomic necessity. Jordan’s trade deficit exceeded 9.6 billion dinars in 2024, with exports covering only about half of imports. Every additional dinar in agricultural exports means an improved trade balance, higher farmer incomes, more rural and valley jobs where they are most needed, new investments in food processing, and direct contribution to the targets of the Economic Modernization Vision 2033, which placed high-value agriculture at the core of growth drivers.
International experiences prove the path is possible: Morocco doubled its agricultural exports within a decade by investing in logistics and contract farming for Europe. The Netherlands, despite its small size, became the world’s second-largest agricultural exporter through innovation and value chain management. Spain built in arid Almería a cooperative export system that manages quality and marketing for small farmers. Kenya turned horticulture and floriculture into a major source of foreign exchange through a strict phytosanitary authority that earned European trust. The common denominator was clear: documented quality, modern logistics, and institutional marketing.
An Integrated Package ELZUBI concluded that Jordan needs an integrated package, not scattered measures. This should begin with a specialized national strategy for agricultural export development with binding quantitative targets, accelerated signing of health and technical protocols with new markets in Asia and Africa, direct government support for farmers to obtain international quality certifications, investment in cold chains and modern packaging and grading centers, digital traceability systems from field to port, and activation of commercial attachés and embassies in promotion.
He underscored the importance of building a unified national brand such as “Jordan Fresh,” encouraging contract farming and export-oriented production tailored to market needs, creating a financing window to support export requirements for small farmers, and linking government incentives to quality and compliance with standards rather than quantities alone.
ELZUBI emphasized that 2024 proved Jordanian agriculture can lead national growth rather than follow it. Sustaining this role depends on transforming inherent quality into documented, globally marketed competitiveness. Market access is no longer merely an export issue—it has become a cornerstone of economic growth, a safeguard for national food security, and one of the shortest paths to achieving the goals of the Economic Modernization Vision.