His Majesty King Abdullah directed the government on Tuesday to implement plans in the Jordan Valley that are prone to ensure the Kingdom's food security in the long run.

Under a master plan for the area ordered by the King, development and investment projects envisaged are expected to improve living conditions in the region and create jobs for its residents.

At a meeting today with local community leaders in the North Shuneh District, which is inhabited by some 130,000 people, King Abdullah said he was working to bolster the situation of the agricultural sector.

His Majesty recently announced that emphasis in 2009 will be on improving the agricultural sector.

"We visited today all the projects that the King ordered to be implemented last year… What His Majesty has in mind is much bigger than this… There is a master plan for the Jordan Valley and Wadi Araba, covering the area that extends from the Red Sea to the north of the Kingdom," Prime Minister Nader Dahabi said at the meeting.

The premier said the master plan, which the King has endorsed, seeks to "completely upgrade the entire area, which will witness investments in human resources, medical and educational services and infrastructure… We need to invest in citizens to successfully carry out this master plan".

Under the blueprint, several pioneering projects will soon go into implementation across the fertile valley, including agricultural schemes that employ state-of-the-art technologies and generate profits, Dahabi added.

The development scheme also details ways to promote the situation of farmers, such as marketing of their produce, said the premier, adding: "We are pinning hopes on cooperation by the agricultural sector to realise a quality leap in the sector and enhance the Kingdom's food security."

During his visit today, King Abdullah inaugurated projects that he ordered to be implemented during a visit to the area in December last year.

The King opened Al Aramshah and Al Fedyyen School, which was built in the area replacing two old schools occupying rented buildings. The new school, spread over six dunums covering a built-up area of 2,000 square metres, is home to 220 students.

The 16-classroom school features a kindergarten, library, auditorium, computer labs, cafeteria, science lab and technical workshops in addition to other facilities. It also has basketball and volleyball courts and a two-dunum garden.

His Majesty also toured Moua Ben Jabal Hospital, which underwent maintenance and expansion work.

The hospital, which was established in 1980, was suffering overcrowding and lacked several essential units. It serves some 60,000 people in the district.

Upon the King's directives, a paediatric and premature infant's unit was built at the hospital containing 25 beds and 15 incubators.

In addition, a building for forensic medicine was built over 150 square metres area, along with a kidney dialysis unit.

The town enjoys now a youth centre established on a 10-dunum plot of land, consisting of a main hall for activities, a computer lab and administration facilities, in addition to a library.