Reference Date: 19-May-2025

Dry weather conditions and high temperatures adversely impact cereal production in 2025

According to official meteorological data , in rainfed highlands, including Irbid, Jerash and Madaba provinces, cumulative rainfall amounts from November 2024 until early May 2025 were more than half the average volumes. With wheat harvest already underway in May and sorghum harvest expected to start in June, prolonged dry weather conditions coupled with above-average temperatures have adversely affected crops and are expected to reduce yields in 2025.

Cereal import requirements to increase in 2024/25

Cereal import requirements for the 2024/25 marketing year (July/June) are estimated at 3.2 million tonnes, over 10 percent above the average level. The country heavily relies on cereal imports to cover domestic demand and aims to keep adequate levels of strategic stocks to mitigate supply disruptions. According to the report of the Economic Modernization Vision 2023-2025 , in the first quarter of 2025, wheat and barley reserves were sufficient to cover 10.4 and 8.5 months of domestic consumption, respectively.

Food inflation remains stable in 2025

The ongoing conflict in the subregion has exacerbated economic challenges in the country, affecting, in particular, the tourism sector, a key source for livelihood and revenue. However, despite the economic challenges, food inflation has remained stable in March 2025 compared to 12 months before, mainly due to government subsidies that offset rising import costs.

Food insecurity persists among refugees in 2025

During the fourth quarter of 2024, food insecurity among refugees remained critical, with 80 percent of camp residents experiencing moderate to severe acute food insecurity. Following the political transition in the Syrian Arab Republic, more than 50 000 Syrian refugees returned home between December 2024 and March 2025, which accounts around 9 percent of the refugees registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in the country.

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/ .