Amman, Jan. 22 (Petra) -- Minister of Agriculture Saeb Khreisat on Thursday received a World Bank mission conducting the Midterm Review (MTR) of the Agriculture Resilience, Value Chain Development, and Innovation (ARDI) Program, as part of routine monitoring of progress and discussions on priorities and next steps to sustain targeted agricultural and rural development outcomes.

Talking at the meeting, Khreisat underscored the "strategic" partnership with the World Bank in supporting agriculture sector priorities, describing the ARDI as an "effective model" of development cooperation that directly improves rural livelihoods and strengthens the sector’s capacity to address challenges, led by climate change and water scarcity.

He said the ministry is "prioritizing" the scaling of water-harvesting techniques and modern water-saving technologies to improve water-use efficiency and boost productivity. He also stressed that investment in training and capacity building is essential to support youth and women and open new economic opportunities in rural areas.

Khreisat highlighted value chain development as a key pathway to increase local product value added and expand marketing and export opportunities, reaffirming continued coordination with partners to enhance extension services and provide technical support aligned with market requirements and quality standards.

The minister also emphasized empowering agricultural cooperatives and strengthening their institutional performance, as a "central" partner in organizing agricultural work, improving market access, and increasing farmers’ economic returns.

He said the ministry supports technical efforts that raise cooperatives’ efficiency and expand their capacity to generate sustainable jobs.

Ina statement, the World Bank mission said the program is delivering strong performance to date. It reported that Disbursement Linked Indicators (DLIs) achievement has exceeded 81%, reflecting implementation efficiency and tangible progress toward the program’s objectives.

The mission noted the visit aims to assess implementation progress, review performance indicators and results, and discuss next steps following approval of activities under an additional financing package of $116 million to sustain the program and broaden its impact.

The statement said ARDI continues to provide practical support to farmers, rural communities, and vulnerable groups, including refugees, women, and youth.

To achieve this goal, interventions include climate-smart agriculture training, job-related skills development, and investments in water-harvesting projects and efficient irrigation technologies to raise productivity and strengthen climate adaptation.

Additionally, the mission said the program is working to improve agriculture-support services to advance value chain development, strengthen export competitiveness, enhance product quality, and link producers "more effectively" to domestic and external markets.
//Petra// AO

22/01/2026 15:17:27