Ammon News - The Ministry of Agriculture announced on Friday that it had given clearance for the import of 1,500 dairy cows after a 3-year hiatus, citing "unfair and unjustified" hikes in fresh milk prices.

"The price of a kilo of farm-fresh milk is now double its price in 2018 when the decision to stop the import of dairy cows was taken", the ministry said, adding that such prices harm dairy manufacturers and, most importantly, consumers.

Moreover, the ministry noted that the prices of dairy products saw a 20-percent increase despite the fact that the impact of a global rise in feed prices on local dairy products does not exceed one piaster per kilo of milk. It indicated that the Kingdom's annual needs of milk are estimated at 650,000 tons while local supply stands at 486,000 tons.

The ministry pointed out that it has the authority to allow the import of 9,000 dairy cows a year, but it gave permits for 1,500 only to protect cattle farmers and encourage them to boost their farms' milk yields.

It added that the permits were given to two dairy companies with factories employing large number of Jordanians, stressing that the licenses were given after a field check of those manufacturers' farms proved they needed the cows. Also, the ministry indicated, the permits do not allow the companies to sell the imported cattle.