'Agriculture Ministry keen on administrative reform plan'

AMMAN — Minister of Agriculture Khaled Hneifat on Saturday highlighted the ministry's administrative reform plan with the aim of improving the services provided to farmers and investors and addressing the administrative slack, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Hneifat stressed the need to re-engineer all services in cooperation with the Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship.

He also highlighted reviewing all provisions governing the agricultural sector in partnership with the private sector in a way that facilitates procedures and keeps pace with the rapid changes during the current crisis and overcomes the difficulties facing investors in the agricultural sector.

Hneifat instructed the concerned officials to expand the authorisation granted to agricultural  departments and directors in all governorates, in a manner that would simplify procedures, shorten the time required to complete transactions, and reduce the burden on farmers.

He issues directives to study the cost structure in the agricultural sector, especially those related to agricultural production and develop effective mechanisms to address the wide differences in the prices of agricultural production in the local markets compared with neighbouring markets.

Emphasising the necessity to develop the ministry's laboratories and automating their operations and services, he pointed to the establishment of foundations for the accreditation of private laboratories in order to examine agricultural products to facilitate the flow of agricultural goods and their export in accordance with international practices in this field,