11-May-2019

Local manufacturers stressed the food, their commitment to their work and investments and what they produce despite the difficulty of the challenges and obstacles facing them and the lack of interest in the treatment of problems. 

The Jordanian industry stands alone in the face of the challenges of energy, labor shortages, unfair competition from imported products, lack of support and promotion of its products, they said during a press conference and a field tour of four factories operating in Marka. 

They said during the meeting organized by the East Amman Industrial Society in Marka area and the field tour that supporting the Jordanian industry is a national responsibility that is the responsibility of all as a safety valve and a lifeline for the national economy to get out of the economic difficulties. 

They pointed out that the Jordanian industry is similar to its imported counterparts and is witnessing continuous development in production, despite the fact that it bears a high cost in production for high energy prices, particularly electricity, which affects its competitiveness, demanding that it be protected from unfair competition, especially from the products of countries that receive support in its country. 

They stressed the necessity of opening new non-traditional markets and enacting modern legislation to stimulate investments in the industrial sector as the most productive sectors for jobs and interest in scientific research by universities to provide technical and administrative solutions and develop production inputs for the national industry instead of importing them. 

The food industry represents about 15% of the total number of industrial establishments operating in the Kingdom, up to 2645, provided 50 thousand jobs and a registered capital of 643 million dinars. 

The sector's exports last year amounted to 531 million dinars compared to 525 million dinars in 2017, while the products reach 70 markets around the world, and Arab countries are the trading partner of the food produced by the Kingdom. 

The general manager of Al-Nai Company for Dairy and Dairy Industries Khalid Barakat said that the Jordanian industry, despite its high level of quality and competition, is still oppressed within the local market. 

Barakat, who recently obtained the ISO 2200 certificate and issued his products to the Saudi and Qatari markets, pointed out that the Jordanian industry is facing many challenges, notably increasing its sales tax to 10% instead of 4% previously. Production. 

He also pointed to the existence of customs duties on some production inputs and the high wages of transport, demanding the facilitation of customs procedures. The major commercial centers should encourage local factories to display their products in their markets. He called upon the citizens to put the national industry on their list of priorities when shopping and buying, stressing that our Jordanian industry enjoys high quality and specifications and prices are less competitive than imported ones. 

The Al Nai Dairy and Dairy Factory was established in 2007 on an area of 10,000 square meters, provided 55 jobs for the majority of Jordanians and produces 15 varieties of milk and cheese using fresh milk. 

Barkat pointed out that the Jordanian industry needs great efforts from the public and private sectors in marketing, especially within the local market, because the cost of promotion is higher than the export. In turn, the Director General of the modern Jawad Bakery Company, Nidal Abu-Nusneh, on the need to provide more facilities for industrialists related to the infrastructure of electricity and sanitation to expand their investment and deal with the spirit of law when the completion of transactions. 

"We are staying here and we will not leave the country despite the difficulties that lead to the 'alienation' from investment," he said, adding that he was about to complete a new factory specialized in producing "burgers" bread at a cost of about 10 million dinars. 

Abu Sneineh, whose company was founded in 1976 and currently employs 400 workers, said that the great challenge facing the Jordanian industry today is the high energy prices and lack of Jordanian technical manpower, despite the availability of an appropriate work environment. 

He expressed his pride in the Jordanian industry, pointing out that the majority of his purchases from the domestic market except those that are not manufactured locally. 

He pointed out that the industrial sector has no interest in raising prices, to be able to continue in light of the decline in the purchasing power of citizens and the intensification of competition between economic sectors. 

For his part, Director General of the Water Company Wael Abed Rabbo pointed out that the Jordanian industry needs more support, care and mitigation of bureaucratic procedures to facilitate its business and enhance its share in the local market. He said that he turned from commercial investment to industrial to his belief in the great opportunities available in the industry and its sustainability. 

Abed Rabbo, who founded his company in 2008 and produces various types of water containers and provided dozens of job opportunities, pointed to the need for inter-industrial linkages to enhance integration, reducing imports, especially production inputs. For his part, Mamoun Al-Tala of Andalusia Mills, which was founded in 1969 and produces more than 150 varieties of spices, thyme, coffee and various perfumery materials, pointed out that the Jordanian industry, which is considered the oldest in the region, has a great reputation in the export markets but needs to be stopped from all to increase its share in the local market . 

He stressed that the most important challenges facing the Jordanian industry is the lack of local trained manpower, which forced the industrialists to rely on expatriate labor, calling for the need to encourage Jordanian labor to work in the industrial sector and provide appropriate training. The Chairman of the East Amman Industrial Society, Mohammed Zaki, pointed out to the great development achieved by the national industry by individual efforts of the industrialists and became a "door to livelihood" for them and their families and employees, stressing the need to address the challenges facing them, 

He pointed out that the Jordanian industry needs to localize technology, praising the efforts of the Food and Drug Administration, which he described as a strong lever for the food industry, despite the existence of some individual actions which sometimes hinder production and manufacturing operations. He pointed out that the Jordanian industry is subject to production control comparable to the world countries. There is high competition among the industrialists, which reflected on the quality of the products and increased its products, which today reach more than 130 markets around the world. 

He called on the concerned authorities to help industrialists to find new solutions that allow the national industry to enter non-traditional markets, stressing that it is able to compete with any global product of high quality and has a great reputation and keep pace with the technological development of manufacturing. 

He pointed out that the new inspection law will work to avoid many of the negatives as it will use the technological methods of inspections of industrial facilities away from «mood», and will help to upgrade the Jordanian industry. He called on the industrialists to improve the working environment and pay attention to training and provide more incentives for workers to attract Jordanian labor to work in the industrial sector, in light of the existence of a large stock of employment opportunities, stressing the need to provide support to small and medium industrial enterprises as engines of economic growth. 

It includes East Amman Industrial Zone (Marka, One, Tareq, Abu Alanda, Ring Belt, Nasr and Bisman). It is witnessing a large industrial movement that provides the local market with products of high quality, competitive price and another part of its industrial production to neighboring countries. 

The first factory was built in the industrial zone in the early 1960s, with 1,800 small and medium-sized enterprises providing 26,000 jobs for Jordanians, according to the association's figures. 

The facilities are currently located in the Marka Industrial Zone, where the first factory was established in 1961 in the sectors of construction, furniture, food, engineering, household electrical appliances, plastics, detergents, packaging and clothing.