Jordan: Agricultural Biotechnology Annual
There is no genetically-engineered (GE) crop production in Jordan. The country continues to allow the import of GE products that are approved for use in the country-of-origin and are authorized for export. The Ministry of the Environment has drafted a biosafety law based on the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological Diversity; the bill is pending parliamentary ratification. The current version of the biosafety law, if enacted, will require the labeling of biotech products. The Ministry of Agriculture reportedly has raised concerns that enactment of biosafety law in its current form will adversely impact the poultry and dairy sectors (Jordan’s largest agribusinesses); both are dependent on imported (predominantly biotech) feed grains.
