Jordan - Agricultural SectorsJordan - Agricultural Sectors
Overview
This sector is a best prospect industry sector for exports. Jordan is a net food-importing country, a growing market around nine million consumers including refugees. Jordan’s population has nearly doubled in the past decade. As a result, Jordan imports up to 98 percent of consumable items from abroad, including wheat, barley, sugar, rice, powdered milk, tea, coffee, corn, vegetable oil (excluding olive oil), cheese, chick peas, vermicelli, and lentils. Due to the scarcity of water, agriculture has been declining as a component of the overall economy for years. Although it consumes 65-75 percent of Jordan’s water resources, agriculture accounts for 4 percent of the country’s GDP. The agricultural sector employs 15% of the labor force, though many agricultural workers hail from Egypt and Syria. The horticultural product sector, the poultry industry, and small-scale herding are major components of the agriculture sector.
Market Requirements
U.S. total exports of agricultural products to Jordan totaled $ 288mn in 2017, a 5.8% increase over 2016 ($272mn). Agricultural exports have seen an increase in Jordanian imports of rice, poultry, beef and fish, in addition to high value supermarket items like dairy products. Top U.S. agricultural exports consist of rice, processed and canned food, condiments, vegetable oil, almonds and poultry (both live and carcasses). Under the terms of the FTA, import duties and other trade barriers between Jordan and the United States were phased out in 2010.
The Jordanian Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) selectively imposes sanitary and phytosanitary measures on meat and poultry import licenses. The MoA periodically practices trade impeding policies that include, but are not limited to, restriction on the issuance of import licenses. Advance approvals to import goods are required for specific food and agricultural goods.
Officials at the ministries of Health and Agriculture are responsible for granting such licenses and approvals. In addition to special requirements for certain agricultural products, Jordan requires importers of commercial goods to be registered traders or commercial entities. The Ministry of Industry and Trade issues directives requiring import licenses for certain goods or categories of goods.
The Jordan Food and Drug Administration (JFDA) holds the primary responsibility for accepting or rejecting incoming food consignments; the Jordan Standards and Meteorology Organization (JSMO) performs the tests and drafts food safety standards. JSMO’s current product standards generally reflect existing U.S. standards; however, JSMO is also working with EU agencies to review its standards. JSMO has already licensed several local laboratories to test for compliance with applicable standards.
U.S. exports of agriculture have occasionally been detained at Jordanian Customs for failing to meet local requirements, causing hardship for exporters and importers alike. It is imperative to work with your local partner and the relevant authorities (see Web Resources) to assure that all requirements are met prior to exportation. For the list of export certifications required by Jordan for import and the products they cover, please refer to a related article on Jordan's “Restrictions and Prohibited Imports.” More details can be found on USDA FAS attaché reports on at: www.fas.usda.gov
Web Resources
Ministry of Agriculture: moa.gov.jo
Jordan Institution for Standards and Metrology: jsmo.gov.jo
Jordan Food and Drug Administration: jfda.jo
Jordan Customs Department: customs.gov.jo
U.S. Foreign Agricultural Service on Jordan: https://www.fas.usda.gov/data/jordan-exporter-guide-1
The two primary governmental entities implementing public sector procurement process in Jordan are the Government Tenders Directorate (GTD) www.gtd.gov.jo and General Supplies Department (GSD) www.gsd.gov.jo
Prepared by our U.S. Embassies abroad. With its network of 108 offices across the United States and in more than 75 countries, the U.S. Commercial Service of the U.S. Department of Commerce utilizes its global presence and international marketing expertise to help U.S. companies sell their products and services worldwide. Locate the U.S. Commercial Service trade specialist in the U.S. nearest you by visiting http://export.gov/usoffices.
This sector is a best prospect industry sector for exports. Jordan is a net food-importing country, a growing market around nine million consumers including refugees. Jordan’s population has nearly doubled in the past decade. As a result, Jordan imports up to 98 percent of consumable items from abroad, including wheat, barley, sugar, rice, powdered milk, tea, coffee, corn, vegetable oil (excluding olive oil), cheese, chick peas, vermicelli, and lentils. Due to the scarcity of water, agriculture has been declining as a component of the overall economy for years. Although it consumes 65-75 percent of Jordan’s water resources, agriculture accounts for 4 percent of the country’s GDP. The agricultural sector employs 15% of the labor force, though many agricultural workers hail from Egypt and Syria. The horticultural product sector, the poultry industry, and small-scale herding are major components of the agriculture sector.
Market Requirements
U.S. total exports of agricultural products to Jordan totaled $ 288mn in 2017, a 5.8% increase over 2016 ($272mn). Agricultural exports have seen an increase in Jordanian imports of rice, poultry, beef and fish, in addition to high value supermarket items like dairy products. Top U.S. agricultural exports consist of rice, processed and canned food, condiments, vegetable oil, almonds and poultry (both live and carcasses). Under the terms of the FTA, import duties and other trade barriers between Jordan and the United States were phased out in 2010.
The Jordanian Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) selectively imposes sanitary and phytosanitary measures on meat and poultry import licenses. The MoA periodically practices trade impeding policies that include, but are not limited to, restriction on the issuance of import licenses. Advance approvals to import goods are required for specific food and agricultural goods.
Officials at the ministries of Health and Agriculture are responsible for granting such licenses and approvals. In addition to special requirements for certain agricultural products, Jordan requires importers of commercial goods to be registered traders or commercial entities. The Ministry of Industry and Trade issues directives requiring import licenses for certain goods or categories of goods.
The Jordan Food and Drug Administration (JFDA) holds the primary responsibility for accepting or rejecting incoming food consignments; the Jordan Standards and Meteorology Organization (JSMO) performs the tests and drafts food safety standards. JSMO’s current product standards generally reflect existing U.S. standards; however, JSMO is also working with EU agencies to review its standards. JSMO has already licensed several local laboratories to test for compliance with applicable standards.
U.S. exports of agriculture have occasionally been detained at Jordanian Customs for failing to meet local requirements, causing hardship for exporters and importers alike. It is imperative to work with your local partner and the relevant authorities (see Web Resources) to assure that all requirements are met prior to exportation. For the list of export certifications required by Jordan for import and the products they cover, please refer to a related article on Jordan's “Restrictions and Prohibited Imports.” More details can be found on USDA FAS attaché reports on at: www.fas.usda.gov
Web Resources
Ministry of Agriculture: moa.gov.jo
Jordan Institution for Standards and Metrology: jsmo.gov.jo
Jordan Food and Drug Administration: jfda.jo
Jordan Customs Department: customs.gov.jo
U.S. Foreign Agricultural Service on Jordan: https://www.fas.usda.gov/data/jordan-exporter-guide-1
The two primary governmental entities implementing public sector procurement process in Jordan are the Government Tenders Directorate (GTD) www.gtd.gov.jo and General Supplies Department (GSD) www.gsd.gov.jo
Prepared by our U.S. Embassies abroad. With its network of 108 offices across the United States and in more than 75 countries, the U.S. Commercial Service of the U.S. Department of Commerce utilizes its global presence and international marketing expertise to help U.S. companies sell their products and services worldwide. Locate the U.S. Commercial Service trade specialist in the U.S. nearest you by visiting http://export.gov/usoffices.