King commends local industries, urges increasing production rate

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Monday commended local industries, stressing the importance of increasing their production rate and expanding their export base by reaching new markets.

King Abdullah, accompanied by HRH Crown Prince Hussein, viewed local medical and food processing products at the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply and Al Hussein Park, and urged developing export promotion programmes and measuring their impact, according to a Royal Court statement.  

His Majesty said research efforts must be coordinated with universities and research centres to develop local industries, calling for addressing the challenges hindering the expansion of production and developing new products.

The samples on display included medical supplies and equipment, sterilisation materials, and foodstuffs that meet domestic and export needs during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, the statement said. 

Minister of Industry, Trade, and Supply Tariq Hammouri, gave a briefing on the government’s efforts to enhance the competitiveness of Jordanian exports, according to the statement. 

Through partnerships with the private sector, national exports reached JD5 billion last year, recording a 6.8 per cent growth for the first time since 2014, with industrial exports accounting for 93 per cent of total exports, Hammouri said.

The private sector has proven its ability to adapt in light of the COVID-19 crisis, the minister added, as Jordan relied on local industries to produce medical equipment and supplies, as well as foodstuffs.

The King was briefed by representatives of 20 national companies on their products, and the main challenges facing efforts to expand production. They also highlighted government measures that helped increase exports during the COVID-19 crisis.

At Al Hussein Park, His Majesty and Crown Prince Hussein viewed fully equipped field hospitals developed at the King Abdullah II Design And Development Bureau, in cooperation with the private sector, for emergencies and crises, the statement said.