In his interview with “Petra,” on Saturday, Head of the Jordan Chamber of Industry (JCI), Fathi Jaghbir, said Jordan’s imports from GAFTA countries witnessed a “clear” rise during the first quarter of 2022, by a rate exceeding 52%, or about JD430 million, compared with the same period last year.
Continuing: As a “clear” driver, the “high” value of Jordan’s imports of oil products and its derivatives was the main reason for this rise, which increased by about 50%, in light of the Kingdom’s reliance on oil deliveries from Arab countries, mainly Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Increase of fuel imports comes in light of the “remarkable” rise in global oil prices during the first quarter of 2022, which reached an average exceeding $120 a barrel, compared to a $70 range a barrel in the first quarter in 2021, he pointed out.
Jaghbir noted Saudi Arabia is the top Arab exporter to Jordan, with imports worth about JD636 million, mainly oil products and its derivatives, followed by the UAE by about JD310 million.
Jordan’s imports from the UAE included gold, oil products and their derivatives, which saw “a record” increase during this period that is attributed to the rise in global oil and gold products’ prices, he noted.
Meanwhile, he said Jordan’s highest exported products to the GAFTA countries included pharmaceuticals, foodstuffs, livestock, vegetable products, fertilizers, iron, steel, and raw phosphates.
On the other hand, he noted the Kingdom’s most imported products from GAFTA countries included oil and its derivatives, natural gas, gold, foodstuff and agricultural products, plastic and other raw materials.
Source: Jordan News Agency