Deputy Chairman of the Syndicate of Garments and Textile Factory Owners in Jordan, Ihab Qadri, said that the sector marks about 24% of the Kingdom's industrial exports to foreign markets.

According to statistical data, exports of clothes, textiles, and leather goods increased by 9.6% last year, reaching a total of 1.294 billion Jordanian Dinars, compared to 1.17 Billion Jordanian Dinars in 2016.

The textile sector includes 11 sub-sectors that operate under the umbrella of the Jordan Chamber of Industry (JCI). These are non-woven fabrics, shoes, textiles, fabrics, knitted fabrics, knitting products, non-woven textiles, embroideries, handmade garments, garments, clothing accessories, leather bags, leather products, carpets, and floor coverings.

In a press statement on Tuesday, November 7, 2018, Qadri confirmed that the sector of textiles, which is the focus of many foreign investments, has a great ability to provide employment opportunities for Jordanian workers once they are trained and rehabilitated.

He stressed on authorities’ acting towards addressing the challenges faced by the sector in light of the local market being flooded by imported products.

He pointed out that the sector includes large institutions that export their products to international markets, benefiting from free trade agreements, while their small and medium-sized products go to local markets as they suffer competition with the imported products.

He pointed to the challenges faced by the sector which includes high costs of energy, lack of trained labor, limited recruitment of expatriate labor, instability of legislation and laws, in addition to the urgent need of funding programs that support the industry.

Qadri stressed the need to review the trade agreements signed by the Kingdom with various economic parties as well the need to give more attention to the academic and vocational education.

He pointed to the role of JCI in serving the industrial sector through developing human resources, promoting the products of the national industrial in foreign markets, networking among industrialists, opening new export markets to the national product and supporting its ability to compete locally against imported products.

He stressed the efforts of the Syndicate of Garments and Textile Factory Owners in consolidating the role of the sector and networking with all stakeholders through a new mechanism of work based on studies, prioritization and analysis of the sector as well as evaluating, planning and identifying short-term and long-term plans.