Minister encourages plastic, rubber industries to benefit from recent deals with Iraq

AMMAN — The private sector has to increase its exports to Iraq and benefit from the recently-signed agreements between Amman and Baghdad, Minister of Industry, Trade and Supply Tareq Hammouri said on Tuesday.

Chief among those benefits, he underlined, are those pertaining to exempting several Jordanian products from customs fees, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Hammouri chaired a meeting with representatives of the plastic and rubber industries and other industrial sector officials to discuss problems and conditions facing their sectors.

He pointed to government procedures aimed at enhancing the competitiveness of the industrial sector.

The minister also highlighted the importance of facilitating the movement of trucks between Jordan and Iraq in both directions to directly access both markets.

Amman and Baghdad were stuck exchanging goods back-to-back on the border for a long while, before recent deals resulted in the resumption of door-to-door freight shipping, he noted.

He added that carrying cargoes between the two countries has declined remarkably, in light of the new arrangements.

He referred to the two countries’ interest and keenness to enhance economic cooperation, and readiness to address any obstacles that may hinder the flow of trade.

President of the Jordan Chamber of Industry Fathi Jaghbir said that the government is working on addressing impediments facing the industrial sector.

He also praised the government’s adoption of the principle of reciprocity.

In the meantime, plastic and rubber sector representative Ala Abu Khazneh and investors referred to the challenges facing their industries in Jordan.

They listed, among others, the high production costs due to high electricity prices, difficulties in the exportation process and shortage of workforce, Petra added.

The plastic and rubber industries amounted to 4.3 per cent of Jordan’s total industrial exports and are ranked seventh among the 10 sub-industrial sectors in terms of the exportation value in 2017.

In the first half of 2018, their contribution to national exports increased to 4.6 per cent, according to Petra.