Jordanian imports constitute 3 times more exports, resulting in a deficit in the trade balance, while Jordanian products reach more than 130 markets around the world, according to the Economic and Social Council's State of the Nation Report 2018.
Industrialists confirmed to the Kingdom's channel that the deficit in the balance of trade is due to many reasons, including the legislative aspect related to laws such as the tax law, customs and labor. 

In addition to high energy costs on the industrial sector, and the absence of traditional export markets, they say. 

His Majesty King Abdullah II said in an interview with a group of journalists this week that he is optimistic about opening the Iraqi market to Jordanian products in addition to the return of cooperation with Syria in the near future. 

Deputy Prime Minister Rajai Al-Moasher confirmed that the cost of transportation, energy and finance in investment projects in Jordan constitutes an obstacle to attracting investments in Jordan because of their rise.
And industrialists that what the industrial sector needs in this period new ideas to help the sector to rise. 

Vice-President of the Amman Chamber of Industry Mousa Al-Saket called for the establishment of new industrial zones providing land at "affordable prices", in addition to opening the doors of financing "away from the complexities of commercial banks and opening international markets to Jordanian products." 

Al-Saket added to the Kingdom's website that 15 laws need to be reviewed "until we reach the stage of interconnection between legislations." 

"If you have a project in the mining sector, it is possible, with one decision, to transform the area from mineral to forest, and here we need to amend the agriculture law, and there are many examples," he says. 

Al-Saket pointed out that the reduction of energy prices "necessary", since the government established in 2017 item of fuel price differences on electricity, "the cost of energy to factories 34%," he says. 

On renewable energy, Al-Saket said, "There is difficulty in their availability. It requires long approvals and months of transactions. The demand may be rejected on the grounds that the structure of the plant is inadequate, the required energy is being reduced, etc." 

"Interest rates are high, and there is no financing window for the industrial sector except for what the central bank gave years ago to give preferential interest to industrial projects," Saket said. 

"Finance has to be clear, because commercial banks have a business outlook, and that does not benefit industrial projects that need low-interest financing," he explains.
According to the Amman Chamber of Industry, Jordan has about 18,000 establishments employing more than 230,000 workers and workers, 82% of whom are Jordanian. 

"The traditional export markets are closed. At the end of the year, Jordanian exports will be subject to income tax, with the introduction of the new income tax law," said Ahmed Khodari, vice president of the Jordanian Exporters Association. 

Al- Khodari pointed out that Jordanian food exports "were not covered by the facilities announced by the government regarding the facilitation of rules of origin with the European Union." 

On the importance of the 2016 Agreement on Rules of Origin with the European Union and improvements in the food sector in December 2018: "The Agreement allows us to increase exports and the food sector that meets the requirements of this Convention." 

Minister of Industry and Trade Tariq al-Hammouri announced in December 2018 new facilities on the rules of origin agreement including reducing the proportion of Syrian labor in economic activity, in addition to the inclusion of all Jordanian factories by agreement. 

The facility came after a royal visit to Brussels in December 2018. 

The State of the Nation's Economic and Social Council's report on the state of the country attributed Jordan's access to 130 international markets to Jordan's signing free trade agreements with several countries, in addition to Jordan's accession to the World Trade Organization.
"The contribution of the domestic trade sector to GDP is more than 8% directly, while the share of the trade sector is intertwined with other economic sectors such as industry, banks and others," the report says. 

The sector employs 37% of the Jordanian workforce, according to the report. 

The report shows that the commercial sector achieved growth in 2017 by about 2.2% compared to 2016, with the growth rate of the sector during the past five years about 2.9%. 

The report attributed the growth of the commercial sector to "the growth of the financial services and insurance sector by 3% and the telecommunications and transport and storage by 2.7%." 

According to the data of the 2015 survey conducted by the Department of Statistics, the number of workers in the commercial sector reached 414 thousand workers and workers, 36.5% of the total workers in Jordan, working within 126 thousand establishments, to an average of 3.3 workers per establishment. 

On taxes, the report says the commercial sector "feeds the treasury about 4 billion annually as taxes and customs duties." 

The country report provides a complete overview of the industry, while the report did not provide information on the certificate of origin agreement and its recent facilities. 

"The industrial sector contributes directly to GDP by about 24 percent, in addition to its indirect contribution, which is demonstrated by its association with many other economic sectors, such as transport, storage, agriculture and banks," the report says.
According to the report, the contribution of the industrial sectors as follows: Extractive industries 2.6%, manufacturing industries 18.2%, electricity and water 3.2%.
The industrial sector consists of three sub-sectors: "Manufacturing Sector, Mining Sector, Electricity and Water Sector" in accordance with the United Nations International System of National Accounts.
"The World Economic Forum's 2018 Production Readiness Report showed that Jordan's performance in the world is weak in the future of production as it ranked 55th in the world at the production level, while 69th globally in terms of the production structure transformer," according to the country's state report. 

The readiness and readiness of 100 countries around the world in the geographical regions and the stages of development were all measured to meet the changing nature of the production and utilization of it by monitoring 59 indicators that reflect both the axis of production engines and the structure of production. 

The report found that only 25 countries are ready to make optimal use of future production systems and to enter the stage of radical change, which accounts for more than 75% of the value added of the global industry.
Prime Minister Omar al-Razzaz talked about the "State of Production" project and announced that Jordan "has the ability to enter new markets." 

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