Ammon News - Minister of Water and Irrigation, Mohammad Najjar, and Ken Bellamy, CEO of Australian "VRM Biologik" group specializing in soil reclamation, on Thursday signed a cooperation agreement to develop and reclaim 20,000 dunams.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Najjar said Jordan's water sector is operating with all its capabilities, in implementation of the Royal directives to government to develop agricultural lands in Jordan Valley and other areas, within the sustainable fodder cultivation project.

This process, which is implemented in cooperation with Ministry of Environment, aims to enabling farmers to achieve agri-development, achieve food security, and provide all land development requirements, he said.

Najjar said this "pioneering" project aims to integrate the latest modern global technologies at low prices to develop about 20,000 dunams, aimed to raise soil efficiency, ensure eco-system reform and safely transfer organic waste.

The enterprise also seeks to address climate changes and enhance tech know-how about the possibility of specific plant cultivation, assess soil targeted for modern production conditions and find farmer-based productive alternatives, he noted.

The project, he noted, would "significantly" reduce water consumption, alleviate fertilizer effects and lower soil salinity, referring to Jordan's use over the past decades of available water sources, mainly water basins, which have become depleted to meet the increasing demand, driven by population increase.

This pressing situation forced Jordan to extract water to an extent that exceeds the safe levels, which prompted the need to find new sources to keep up with water demand, he pointed out.