‘Food exhibition to expose manufacturers, traders to new markets’

AMMAN — The Jordan Food Exhibition 2016 is a chance for local foodstuff manufacturers and traders to tap into opportunities in new markets to boost exports, a sector leader said on Tuesday.

The exhibition, which opens on June 1, is an invitation for local traders to look into alternative markets as Jordan’s major markets in Syria and Iraq are currently closed, said Foodstuff Traders Association President Khalil Haj Tawfiq, citing participations from Turkey and Thailand as examples.

He said the event, which will feature over 100 foreign companies and a similar number of local ones, is also a chance for Arab and foreign investors to consider the Jordanian market as a destination to start their businesses.

The five-day exhibition, held in partnership with the International Promoters Company, will take place at Al Hussein Youth City.

Last year’s exhibition attracted some 150,000 visitors to booths of 100 food companies and factories, with the volume of sales exceeding JD10 million, Haj Tawfiq said, expecting the numbers to double this year.

“This year we had more time to plan for the exhibition and took into consideration the comments on the previous event,” he told The Jordan Times over the phone.

The association will send invitations to a “large” number of Jordanian, Arab and international businesspeople, as well as chambers of commerce and industry, Haj Tawfiq explained.

“We are also studying holding a conference on the sidelines of the exhibition, where participants can share their expertise in the field,” he said, adding that the exhibition’s administration received requests to include a category for food production machinery.

Participating traders in this year’s exhibition will also provide offers and discounts on direct sales and transactions, and will offer tasting and live cooking activities, the sector leader noted.