'Food expo receives 75,000 visitors'

AMMAN — The Jordan Food Exhibition 2016 concluded late Sunday after receiving some 75,000 visitors, the Foodstuff Traders Association (FTA) said Monday.

FTA President Khalil Haj Tawfiq said the five-day exhibition, which featured products by 150 factories, wholesalers and retailers, was received with positive feedback from the visitors, some of whom called for holding it more than once a year and expanding it to include governorates.

The exhibition was held at Al Hussein Youth City, and its venue extended over 4,000 square metres, showcasing what the local food market has to offer, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

In previous remarks to The Jordan Times, Haj Tawfiq said the size of the domestic food sector has expanded from JD3.5 billion to JD4 billion due to the influx of around 1.3 million Syrian refugees.

Around 85 per cent of food commodities in the local market are imported, he said, indicating that there are around 15,000 businesses involved in the food sector, including hypermarkets, shopping malls and manufacturers.

In its second year, the exhibition gave the public a first-hand look at the quality of locally produced food items, Haj Tawfiq said in a statement carried by Petra.

Products were available at "affordable prices" and free samples were also offered to visitors, he added, thanking the Greater Amman Municipality, the Agriculture Ministry, the Jordan Food and Drug Administration, the Jordan Standards and Metrology Organisation, and the Jordan Customs Department for supporting the event.