Minister of Industry, Trade and Supply Dr. Tarik Al-Hammouri called on the private sector to increase its exports to Iraq and to benefit from the understandings and agreements reached recently with the Iraqi side, especially regarding the exemption of a number of Jordanian goods exported to the Iraqi market. 

During a meeting on Tuesday to discuss the reality of the plastic and rubber industries, the problems facing them and the measures taken by the government to support and enhance the competitiveness of the industrial sector, Hammouri pointed to the importance of facilitating the movement of trucks between Jordan and Iraq in both directions. Through the border trade zone. 

He said that the freight of goods between the two countries declined significantly after the entry of trucks, which reduces the cost of export, pointing to the interest and keenness of Jordan and Iraq to develop and strengthen economic cooperation between them and their willingness to address any obstacles to the flow of goods in both directions. 

He pointed out that the ministry is working to provide incentives for national exports and is consulted with the Jordan Chamber of Industry in the framework of alternative solutions to the program of exempting export earnings in addition to finding alternative markets. 

He pointed out that a special committee of the ministry will continue its work with various industrial sectors in order to address obstacles and help to take advantage of the export opportunities available and maximize the benefits of agreements signed with other countries. 

The head of the Jordan Chamber of Industry, Fathi al-Jaghbir, said that the government is working to overcome impediments to the industrial sector in recognition of the size of the challenges it faces. We noted the application of the principle of reciprocity to Syrian goods. 

Sector representative Alaa Abu Khazna and a number of investors in the sector pointed to the challenges facing the plastic industry in the Kingdom, including the high cost of production due to the energy burden and the difficulties of export to some markets and the shortage of manpower.

The exports of the plastics and rubber industry accounted for 4.3 percent of the total industrial exports and ranked seventh among the ten industrial sectors in terms of export volume during 2017 and rose to 4.6 percent during the first half of 2018.

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