Amman, May 18 (Petra) — The Jordan Farmers Union and Syria’s General
Union of Peasants signed a memorandum of understanding to exchange
expertise on food security and to discuss expanding agricultural and
trade exchange.

The agreement was signed during a visit to Damascus by President of
the General Union of Jordanian Farmers Odeh Rawashdeh and board
members. The delegation met with Syrian Minister of Agriculture Basel
Al-Suweydan, in the presence of President of the General Union of
Syrian Peasants Ghazwan al-Wazir.

Director General of the Jordan Farmers Union, Mahmoud Oran, told the
Jordan News Agency (Petra) that strengthening complementary food
security ties between Jordan and Syria is important, noting that both
countries have extensive expertise in the agricultural sector.

Oran said Jordan is a key market for Syrian horticultural crops,
while the Syrian market receives Jordanian vegetables available
throughout the year. He also pointed to the potential benefit from
the Jordan Valley’s comparative advantage in this field.

For his part, Al-Suweydan commended the deep-rooted historical ties
between the two countries, recalling His Majesty King Abdullah II’s
supportive positions toward the Syrian people during difficult
circumstances.

He welcomed the signing of the MoU between the two unions and any
agricultural cooperation with Jordan, stressing that Syria looks
forward to benefiting from Jordanian expertise in technical
agriculture, family-based projects, and rural women’s products.

Al-Wazir said the memorandum aims to strengthen cooperation in
various agricultural fields, exchange technical and administrative
expertise, develop production and food-processing chains, enhance
trade exchange and agricultural exports, and introduce modern
technologies.

He added that the two sides will begin exchanging official visits and
technical delegations periodically, organizing joint workshops and
training programs, and cooperating in agricultural processing,
packaging, and wrapping in line with technical standards. Cooperation
will also cover renewable energy, smart systems, and precision
farming, as well as support for product marketing and opening new
channels for trade exchange between the two countries.

//Petra// AO