The Minister of Industry, Trade and Supply Maha Ali said that the ministry is in the process of establishing six sectorial councils, in partnership with the private sector, to help boost national exports and pinpoint any challenges related to accessing domestic or foreign markets. The minister made the comment Tuesday during a Zoom-powered meeting organized by the Jordan Exporters Association (JEA) and the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE), on the role and promotion of Jordanian exports. Ali said that the sectorial councils will develop strategies for export, noting that the aim of such sectorial strategies is to secure access for companies to traditional and new markets. She stressed that Jordan is eyeing non-traditional markets such as Africa.
The Ministry, she added, is working on strategies and procedures to enhance Jordanian exports to external markets, pointing to the programs implemented by the Jordan Enterprise Development Corporation (JEDCO), which focus on export support operations. The Minister pointed out the role of the "Jordan Export Company," a joint public and private sector venture established last year with the aim of promoting export, organizing exhibitions, developing companies and their export capabilities. Ali highlighted the importance of export for most of the Jordanian industrial or service companies to regional, Arab and non-traditional markets, indicating that the government's obligation is to provide a stimulating and appropriate environment to enable companies to produce competitively to enter external markets.
On the post-COVID situation, the minister explained that the pandemic resulted in difficulties for most economic sectors following the introduction of health measures to address and curb the spread of the virus, and to balance the health and epidemiological situation with work sustainability.Ali also noted that some companies managed to cope with the 'exceptional situation' by developing and transforming their production lines to meet public demands on face masks, sterilizers, medical and pharmaceutical supplies, and food industries, stating that Jordan exported around 100 million units of face masks to Arab, European and Asian countries as well as the United States. On recent measures to support and stimulate the export process, the minister pointed to a system of income tax incentives for the industrial sector created last year and a system to support industrial sectors when exporting.