The value of Jordanian exports to Syria more than quadrupled during the first nine months of the current year, rising by 383.3%, driven by the renewed commercial activity between the two countries.

According to the Jordan News Agency (Petra), the value of Jordanian exports to Syria increased to 217.5 million US dollars, compared to 45 million dollars over the same period last year, based on foreign trade data issued by Jordan’s Department of Statistics.

Jordan’s imports from Syria also rose to around 90 million dollars, compared to 52.5 million dollars during the same period last year, a growth rate of 71.4%.

The volume of trade exchange between the two countries during the same period reached 330 million dollars, compared to 97.5 million dollars for the same period last year.

Jordanian exports to Syria diversified to include primarily construction materials and building industries such as cement, iron, marble, tiles, paints, pipes, and electrical equipment, in addition to food and agricultural products and chemical goods.

Syrian Jordanian agreement

Syria’s Ministry of Economy and Industry announced that it had reached an agreement with Jordan’s Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Supply to open import and export channels between the two countries.

The agreement covers all goods, according to what the Syrian Economy Ministry announced via Facebook on Monday, 24 November, and is set to take effect at the beginning of next year.

The ministry stated that the agreement will boost trade volumes and create greater opportunities for both the public and private sectors in the two countries.

It added that the agreement came during a meeting between the Syrian Minister of Economy and Industry, Nidal al-Shaar, and the Jordanian Minister of Industry, Trade, and Supply, Yarub Alqudah, at the ministry’s headquarters in Damascus.

According to the ministry, the meeting discussed a number of joint economic files, most notably promoting trade exchange between Syria and Jordan and facilitating import and export movements.

During the meeting, al-Shaar stressed the importance of easing customs procedures and improving trade infrastructure in order to increase the efficiency of commercial flows between the two countries.

He emphasized the need to strengthen cooperation between the public and private sectors in Syria and Jordan in ways that benefit both national economies.

For his part, Alqudah expressed Jordan’s desire to expand the volume of trade with Syria, with a focus on the sectors of industry, agriculture, and energy.

He pointed to the importance of working to remove obstacles that may hinder trade exchange and to strengthen the environment for joint cooperation in light of the current regional economic conditions.

At the conclusion of the meeting, both sides stressed the need for continued coordination between the two governments to develop prospects for trade and economic cooperation in a way that benefits the Syrian and Jordanian peoples.

272% increase by July

The Jordanian Association of Clearance and Cargo Transport Companies said that the Jaber border crossing, which links Jordan with Syria, is witnessing heavy two-way freight traffic, and called for the reopening of the Ramtha crossing.

The head of the association, Dheifallah Abu Aqoula, said in a statement to the state-run “Al Mamlaka” channel on 1 July that the movement of incoming and outgoing goods through the Jaber crossing had increased by more than 272% from the beginning of the current year until the end of last June, compared to the same period last year.

Abu Aqoula pointed to the role of Jordan Customs and the various competent security services in facilitating customs clearance procedures and accelerating the movement of goods and passengers through the border centers, stressing that continuous efforts to update systems and develop customs infrastructure have had a major impact in supporting the smooth flow of trade and enhancing the business environment in the Kingdom.

He added that the center had handled 87,323 trucks between entry and exit from the beginning of the current year until 29 June, an increase of 63,842 trucks compared to the same period last year.

Amid mounting pressure on the Jaber customs center and a sharp rise in the volume of goods passing through it, Abu Aqoula called for resuming operations at the Ramtha customs center and allocating it to passenger traffic and public transport buses.

He explained that dedicating the Ramtha customs center to passengers and small vehicles, while reserving the Jaber customs center for transit freight operations and customs clearance for exports and imports, would help organize customs work and distribute the load, and would contribute to speeding up entry and exit procedures and reducing operating costs.

He stressed that concentrating all freight traffic through the Jaber border crossing alone leads to congestion and delays, because the high volume of back-to-back cargo transfers requires activating alternative arrangements on the ground, most notably the reopening of the Ramtha customs center in order to fully utilize the available yards at Jaber.