Alrai ـــ King calls for expansion in industries with added and strategic value

His Majesty King Abdullah II stressed the need to focus on the sectors of food and pharmaceutical industries and medical supplies, and expand towards other sectors with added and strategic value.His Majesty the King, during his attendance at the Husseiniya Palace today, Sunday, as part of a follow-up meeting of the Steering Committee in the sectors of food and pharmaceutical manufacturing and medical supplies, pointed out that Jordan has opportunities, which qualify it to be a regional center for these industries.During the meeting, which was attended by a number of economic journalists, His Majesty stressed the importance of harmonizing the legislations organized with the work currently in place and to facilitate the tasks of the committees.

His Majesty pointed to the need to think of mechanisms to increase exports abroad, and the importance of promoting national industries. And formed in the middle of last April, under the direction of Royal, a steering committee for the sectors of food and drug manufacturing, medical supplies and equipment, which includes members from the public and private sectors.

His Majesty the King listened to the briefings presented by the heads of the three sectors committees, which dealt with what had been implemented of the plans that had been put in place previously, and providing them with the requirements of global reliability, in addition to presenting future plans for the projects that are currently being implemented and what will be implemented.

They also presented the main indicators for each sector, in terms of exports versus imports, the number of companies and job opportunities it provides, the current export markets, and the expected development in each sector.

In turn, Prime Minister Dr. Omar Al-Razzaz said in his intervention before His Majesty that the royal directives of the government were clear, which stresses the importance of finding opportunities from the challenges posed by the "Corona" pandemic.

And Al-Razzaz indicated that the industrial sector was able to take advantage of these opportunities, stressing the importance of continuing to work in an institutional way, and accordingly a steering committee was established from which 3 committees were formed, including a committee for food manufacturing, a second for drug manufacturing and a third committee for medical supplies.

Al-Razzaz pointed out that the work is carried out in partnership with the private sector, research, educational and financing institutions to ensure that the work is complementary, and continuously, with the aim of analyzing data and addressing any gaps.

With regard to medical supplies, the Prime Minister stressed that production inputs should be of local Jordanian industry to reduce the burden.

For his part, Minister of Industry, Trade and Supply Dr. Tariq Al-Hammouri asserted that the work carried out by the committees is based on networking and collecting applied research currently being implemented in the Kingdom.

He pointed out that research is "filtered" by specialized committees that include the private sector, and then to conduct a preliminary feasibility study and present it to the private sector to take feedback before developing it.

The Minister indicated that specific implementation bodies have been put in place within a timetable and timeframes, expecting that this path will result every 6 months from 3 to 5 applied research that can be offered to the private sector.

Al-Hamouri pointed out that a study is being conducted on what is imported from outside the Kingdom in the three sectors with the aim of assessing our ability to manufacture it locally, pointing out that the study will end in its initial form within two weeks.

The Chairman of the Food Industrialization Committee and the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Industrial Cities Company, Dr. Loay Sahwil, presented a briefing on the procedures undertaken by the Committee in the field of developing the food industries in terms of developing a feasibility study for the food and agricultural industries and developing investment platforms to promote and increase investment and secure safe financing for expansion lines.

He explained that these procedures will be implemented according to a specific timetable. The head of the Medical Supplies and Equipment Committee, the general manager and CEO of the King Abdullah II Center for Design and Development, and the Kadbi Investment Group, Amjad Khamis Al-Shuhail, said that the committee is working within a specific time plan to approve 13 medical products and supplies, evaluate the feasibility of them, and sign agreements with international companies for this purpose.

And that the center is working on preparing a detailed analysis of the market, with the aim of establishing a factory for the production of raw materials that enter the manufacture of personal protection equipment, to ensure the continuity of securing the market's supply of sterilizers, and signing future agreements with international suppliers.

The Chairman of the Pharmaceutical Committee, Director General of the General Food and Drug Corporation, Dr. Nizar Mahidat, also provided an explanation that included the procedures of the committee regarding the acceleration of the approval of medicines, noting that 29 medicines were approved during the last period.

And that there are 4 companies that have applied for registration to produce medical materials and preparations, in addition to a factory that will produce nutritional supplements, where the committee will conduct research with academics on the possibility of using natural resources in these products, stressing that the committee is also working to increase the products of the Dead Sea.

The meeting was attended by the President of the Royal Hashemite Court, the Adviser of His Majesty the King for Communication and Coordination, the Adviser of His Majesty the King for Policies and Information, the Minister of Health, the Chairman of the Joint Staff, and the Director General of the Royal Medical Services.

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