Partnership for Herb Production and Processing (PHPP) was the focus of a workshop facilitated by the USAID-funded Sustainable Achievement of Business Expansion and Quality Program (SABEQ) held during the last week of August. The purpose of the workshop was to emphasis the importance of the herbs segment to the growth of Jordan’s agricultural capacity, and the economic benefits this segment can bring to the overall value of Jordan’s agricultural sector.
The workshop was attended by more than 40 representatives of the public and private sectors concerned with enhancing the productivity, competitiveness and value of the local agricultural sector and its products, including many members of Irbid-based women’s organizations. The discussions that stemmed from the workshop noted the existing potential of the dried herbs market for local consumers, the process of selecting the market driven choices in herbs, as well as training the parties on the planting, harvesting, processing, packaging, branding and marketing processes that feed into the success of the sector.
Early results of the workshop demonstrated the eagerness and realization of the importance of partnership in order to increase momentum of this initiative. Members of the Irbid-based women’s organizations have since begun connecting with farmers and company representatives to begin networking and partnering in terms of production.
The next step for the initiative is for all parties that were in attendance of the workshop, to present the capacity in which they can function at the various stages of the process as previously noted, work together to determine the best herbs to plant and harvest in terms of market demands and that are suitable for Jordan’s climate and not water intensive, and developing training programs to help educate farmers on the technicalities of planting and harvesting herbs.
The USAID-funded Sustainable Achievement of Business Expansion and Quality Program (SABEQ) is a five year broad economic development initiative implemented by BearingPoint, Inc. and a sizeable team of international and Jordanian partner firms. By both supporting improvements in the business environment and providing assistance to expand innovation and productivity in Jordanian businesses, to support the main objective of building up the private sector as a powerful engine of economic growth.
###
