Jordanian Agriculture Ministry upholds import ban on dairy cows
Jordan’s Ministry of Agriculture “stands firm” in its decision to ban dairy cattle imports until further consultations are held.
9 March 2020
1 minute read
According to reporting in the Middle East North Africa Financial Network, the Ministry of Agriculture will also take a vote on the issue. Minister Ibrahim Shahahdeh stated that the ministry plans to resume the implementation of the import ban and that there are “no current plans” to allow dairy cow imports.
In a statement made by Shahahdeh, he stated that a committee formed by the Investment Authority, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply have made “strenuous efforts during the past months to reduce the harms done to local farmers and livestock breeders as a result of past open policies regarding the import of cows and dairy products”.
Jordan has about 700 cattle farms, 60 percent of which are located in the Al Dhulail area in Zarqa Governante. After the government prohibited the import of non-Jordanian milk powder in late 2019, industry stakeholders told the Jordan Times that the decision, “helped revive the cattle sector.”
According to sector stakeholders, dairy prices would have increased without the ban. When the ban was further extended to dairy cattle, the sector welcomed the decision.
