Jordan continues to impose procedures that delay the entry of Syrian trucks through it to complete their route towards Saudi Arabia, causing goods to spoil, their quality to decline, and costs to increase.
Mohammad al-Aqqad, a member of the Traders and Exporters of Vegetables and Fruits Committee in Damascus, said that the Jordanian side is hindering the movement of Syrian trucks through the Nassib-Jaber crossing towards Saudi Arabia, aiming to promote Jordanian products at the expense of Syrian goods.
In a statement to the local newspaper Al-Watan today, Wednesday, August 21, al-Aqqad explained that Syrian trucks wait at the crossing for up to 15 days awaiting Jordanian approval to pass, which leads to the spoilage of goods, deterioration in quality, and additional costs for the exporter.
The freight cost of a refrigerator truck loaded with vegetables and fruits to Saudi Arabia is typically around four thousand US dollars before delays and waiting at the crossing, while the Jordanian obstruction has doubled this cost to about eight thousand dollars.
Riyad al-Sarifi, the head of the Syrian Association for Freight Forwarding and Logistics, confirmed deliberate delays in admitting Syrian exports through the Nassib-Jaber crossing, noting that the number of Syrian trucks waiting sometimes reaches up to 700 vehicles.
On July 29, the Syrian Federation of International Freight Forwarders stated that the Jordanian side’s restrictions on Syrian trucks caused the spoilage of goods in 150 Syrian trucks over a month and a half.
The regime also complicates matters
Work in the Syrian-Jordanian common free zone stopped due to “new complicated procedures” imposed by the Syrian customs, hindering operations, as explained by the head of the Jordanian Owners of Clearance and Cargo Transporters Association, Deifallah Abu Aqouleh.
Abu Aqouleh said last July that more than 500 trucks on the Jordanian side are stalled due to “new arbitrary procedures,” leading to significant losses due to the stalling of trucks and goods. He added that the Syrian side prevented the organization of any declaration for trucks headed to Syria without the approval of the Syrian Customs Department, which caused the halting of truck movement and disrupted work as approval takes days.
On the other hand, the Ministry of Economy and Foreign Trade in the regime’s government denied on July 23 that there were any obstructions to the entry of Jordanian trucks into Syria.
Economy Minister Samer al-Khalil told the local newspaper Al-Watan that customs procedures are part of the normal process to verify and ensure the safety of documents, noting that his government is in communication with the Jordanian side to ensure smooth trade exchange and the interest of the business sector in both countries, facilitating the passage of trucks and goods in both directions.