AMMAN - The Kingdom will soon embark on a new pilot project for fodder production in a step towards self-dependence on locally cultivated animal feed.
The Hashemite Fund for Badia Development (HFBD), in cooperation with the concerned ministries and a local private company with extensive experience in development projects, will implement the project.
"The venture is expected to start soon as the crops will be planted by September this year. The fodder will be cultivated on state-owned land in the badia regions," HFBD Director Omar Rafie told The Jordan Times on Sunday.
The project seeks to provide fodder to local farmers at affordable prices, cut expenditures by gradually reducing imported animal feed from neighbouring countries and support and sustain the Kingdom's livestock sector.
The pioneering project was announced late last week at a Prime Ministry meeting, where Prime Minister Nader Dahabi urged the project's stakeholders to start implementing it as soon as possible and issued instructions for the formation of a steering committee to follow up on its implementation.
"The project will not only help the government cut expenditure, but also create job opportunities for local residents in the targeted areas and reinforce the sustainable development process in impoverished districts," Rafie underlined.
He added that the amounts of cultivated fodder will be limited during the first phase of the project, but it will constitute a step in the right direction towards full dependence on locally-planted fodder and stopping imports of animal feed.
The Kingdom's annual fodder requirements are estimated at around 1.7 million tonnes, Rafie said, noting that the country only produces 21 per cent of the total amount required for cattle owners at present.
He attributed this to the fact that local farmers avoid this kind of cultivation due to the low economic feasibility, especially with the government's current financial support on animal feed.
"The project's steering committee is currently examining where to start planting the fodder crops, but they will be somewhere close to water sources and irrigation infrastructure services in the badia," Rafie said.
The Ministry of Water and Irrigation has identified certain underground water basins that cannot be used for human consumption, but are suitable for irrigating crops meant for animal consumption, he added.
By Hana Namrouqa
© Jordan Times 2008
