Jordan caps 2026 long-life milk imports at 22,000 tonnes to support local production
Jordan has advanced its plan to replace imported long-life milk gradually with domestic production. The government has capped 2026 imports at 22,000 tonnes and is requiring three participating processors to use locally produced raw milk.
Government and cattle farmers renew localization plan
Jordan’s Ministry of Agriculture and the Coalition of Cattle Breeders Association have signed the minutes of a meeting of the Permanent Technical Committee for Milk, reaffirming the country’s plan to localize production of long-life milk. The program is intended to strengthen food security, protect domestic output and support cattle farmers, with self-sufficiency as its eventual objective.
Khaberni reported that the government plans to replace imported long-life milk gradually with locally manufactured supplies. Implementation brings together the Ministry of Agriculture, the Jordan Chamber of Industry, dairy processors, cattle breeders’ associations and other public agencies. The agreement therefore links import management with commitments by processors to purchase and use Jordanian raw milk.
Import ceiling set at 22,000 tonnes
Jordan imported about 31,000 tonnes of sterilized long-life milk in 2024. According to Khaberni, measures introduced under the localization program had reduced imports by 30% by the end of 2025. The committee has now fixed the maximum volume permitted for 2026 at 22,000 tonnes.
About 14,000 tonnes of the 2026 allowance have already been authorized for import since the beginning of the year. The ceiling leaves the authorities with room to cover market requirements while limiting additional foreign supply. For importers, access to the market will increasingly depend on the remaining quota and subsequent government decisions. For local processors, the policy creates a protected opportunity to build sales of domestically produced ultra-high-temperature milk.
Three processors must operate production lines
The committee said the three local companies covered by the plan must operate their long-life milk production lines in accordance with their agreements. They are also expected to absorb raw milk supplied by domestic cattle farmers. Field inspections, progress monitoring and periodic assessments of technical indicators and market requirements will accompany implementation.
The meeting included representatives of the Jordan Food and Drug Administration, the Customs Department, the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply, the Standards and Metrology Organization, the Jordan Chamber of Industry, dairy plants and cattle breeders’ cooperatives. Their participation indicates that the plan covers food regulation, customs controls, industrial capacity and farm supply rather than import licensing alone.
Raw milk surplus remains central
Coalition chairman Laith Al-Hajj said the program would help absorb surplus raw milk, create sustainable sales channels for farmers and encourage dairy plants to rely more heavily on local supply. He said cattle farmers had faced falling raw milk prices alongside surplus production, sharply higher feed and veterinary medicine prices, other production costs, repeated environmental requirements and competition from some imported products.
The commercial outcome will depend on whether the three processors can raise utilization of their long-life milk lines while consistently taking milk from local farms. Tighter imports can support domestic prices and plant throughput, but regulators must also maintain adequate availability for consumers. The committee’s planned market reviews will be important because the 22,000-tonne ceiling is both an industrial policy tool and a limit on the supply available from abroad.
