Value Chain Analysis of Jameed Production in Jordan

Abstract

Jameed is a traditional product produced by fermenting and drying dairy products which have been salted, which plays a significant role in culture and livelihood of people in Jordan, especially as it relates to the association with Mansaf, Awassi sheep breeding and households. In this paper, the analysis of the Jameed value chain is conducted with regard to the supply of inputs and primary production through processing, trade and consumption using value-chain analysis, rapid rural appraisal, sector statistics, stakeholder evidence and a structured survey involving 400 Awassi sheep breeders. The findings reveal that the constraints include reliance on purchased feed, limited natural grazing, seasonal availability of milk, traditional processing, limited access to improved technology, food safety risks and reliance on intermediaries. The evidence from the survey reveals that 85.0% of breeders regarded high feed costs as a constraint, 65.8% reported lack of grazing and 61.0% indicated seasonality. Of those Jameed producing farms, 76.4% applied traditional processing while 23.6% used improved or semi-mechanized processing. Importantly, the official 2025 Department of Statistics trade data provide crucial information on the market of Jameed: imports of Jameed amount to 3,417,430 kg valued at JD 7,875,855 compared with exports of 481,682 kg valued at JD 1,122,963 and re-exports of 3,850 kg valued at JD 11,272. This means that there is a deficit in the trade of almost JD 6.74 million.