Foundation stone laid for National Seed Bank building

AMMAN — Deputising for His Majesty King Abdullah, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Local Administration Tawfiq Kreishan on Monday laid the foundation stone for the National Seed Bank building, which will be located at the National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC) in cooperation with the Hashemite University.

Kreishan said the establishment of the National Seed Bank is in line with Jordan's vision for economic modernisation, the national plan for sustainable agriculture and the national food security strategy.

The project is an extension of the seed bank established at the National Centre for Agricultural Research in 1993, Kreishan added.

Agriculture Minister Khalid Hneifat emphasised the global importance of food security, in light of recent crises, noting that His Majesty highlighted this idea during the 2020 Borlaug Dialogue.

Expressing his pride in the scientific achievements achieved by the National Centre in partnership with Hashemite University, the minister highlighted the role of the bank in promoting agricultural development, by preserving plant varieties capable of producing high quality agricultural products, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

NARC Director General Nizar Haddad  revealed that the Hashemite University has allocated JD 3 million for constructing the new building of the seed bank launched in 1993. 

The bank houses a collection of seed samples dating back to 1927, including 2,000 historic grass samples that date back to 1898, he added.

Haddad also highlighted that the project follows the highest green building standards, which will cover approximately 3,170 square metres, with an additional 10 dunums for supporting facilities.

The building will have modern training rooms, advanced laboratory equipment, and long-term storage facilities set at -20ºC, instead of the current 5ºC storage. 

Haddad also acknowledged the pivotal role of HRH Prince Hassan, chairman of the Higher Council for Science and Technology, in tasking the National Centre's Department of Biodiversity Research to verify the contents of the grass samples in the UK.