Reference Date: 27-November-2024

Cereal production estimated at below-average level in 2024

Cereal production in 2024 is estimated slightly above 110 000 tonnes, about 3 percent below the average due to below-average precipitation amounts in Irbid, Balqa and Madaba regions. Close to the harvest season in mid-July, the government increased the procurement prices for the 2024 wheat and barley harvest by JOD 50 from the previous year, setting at JOD 500/tonne for wheat and JOD 420/tonne for barley, supporting farmers’ income considering the low output of cereals.

Planting operations of 2025 winter cereals started in late September 2024 in Irbid Governorate, a key producing region. According to weather forecasts, drought conditions are anticipated to have an adverse impact on yields. As domestic cereal production is just a small portion of the total utilization, the anticipated deficit is expected to increase import needs.

Cereal import requirements to increase in 2024/25

Cereal import requirements for the 2024/25 marketing year (July/June) are forecast at 3.2 million tonnes, over 10 percent above the average level. The government’s measures mitigating supply shortages, by increasing strategic cereal reserves and expanding grain storage capacity are likely to ensure adequate essential commodity supplies, including wheat and barley. The country already initiated replenishing strategic stocks, with wheat imports during July and August nearly doubling the average for the same period over the past five years.

Food inflation eased in 2024

Ongoing hostilities in the subregion have adversely affected the country’s economic growth in 2024, particularly the tourism sector which is an important source of revenue. However, food inflation has remained low, with an average rate of 1.5 percent for the first ten months of the year. In October 2024, food inflation dropped by 1 percent compared to the same period last year, marking its lowest rate since March 2023, underpinned by the moderate decrease in prices of fruits, nuts and vegetables due to high production levels.

Food insecurity worsened among refugees in 2024

According to the World Food Programme (WFP), as of August 2024, food insecurity among refugees worsened in the second quarter of 2024 compared to same period of 2023. In host communities, about 92 percent of the humanitarian aid beneficiaries are food insecure, while half of the population in camps are at risk of hunger.

Disclaimer: The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of FAO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

This brief was prepared using the following data/tools:
FAO/GIEWS Country Cereal Balance Sheet (CCBS) https://www.fao.org/giews/data-tools/en/ .

FAO/GIEWS Food Price Monitoring and Analysis (FPMA) Tool https://fpma.fao.org/ .

FAO/GIEWS Earth Observation for Crop Monitoring https://www.fao.org/giews/earthobservation/ .

Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) https://www.ipcinfo.org/ .