Zarqa: The Chairman of the Zarqa Chamber of Industry, Fares Hamoudeh, announced a 12% increase in the chamber's exports during February 2025, totaling $117.1 million, compared to $104.6 million in the same month of 2024.
According to Jordan News Agency, Hamoudeh mentioned that the total exports for the first two months of 2025 amounted to $223.5 million, slightly lower than the $228.9 million recorded in the same period of 2024. Exports to North America accounted for 46.7% of total exports, valued at $104.3 million during the first two months of 2025, marking a 3% decrease from $107 million in the same period last year. However, exports to the United States increased by 0.6%, reaching $101.2 million, compared to $100.6 million in 2024.
Exports to Arab countries made up 40.3% of total exports, valued at $90.2 million, down from $93.9 million in 2024. Iraq remained the top Arab importer of Zarqa's exports, although the value of exports to Iraq decreased by 6%, reaching $31.6 million, compared to $33.6 million last year. Saudi Arabia ranked second, with a 7% increase in exports, totaling $25.7 million compared to $24.1 million in 2024. Algeria saw the highest growth in exports, with a 72% increase, reaching $14.3 million, up from $8.3 million in 2024.
Exports to non-Arab Asian markets amounted to $12.4 million, representing 5.5% of total exports, a 43% increase from $8.7 million in 2024. In contrast, exports to the European Union decreased by 34%, totaling $6.1 million, down from $9.3 million last year.
Regarding industrial sectors, Hamoudeh noted that the leather, textiles, and clothing industries led the exports with $110.29 million, though this marked a 7% decrease compared to $118.84 million in 2024. The food, agricultural, and livestock sectors came second, with exports declining by 25%, totaling $38.94 million, compared to $51.69 million last year. The engineering, electrical, and IT sectors showed impressive growth, ranking third with $21.21 million in exports, up 75% from $12.12 million in 2024. The construction industries followed, with a 69% increase, totaling $19.07 million, compared to $11.28 million last year.
The chemical industries and cosmetics sector exported $11.09 million, slightly down from $12.02 million in 2024. Other notable sectors included medical supplies ($8.69 million), packaging, paper, and office supplies ($7.12 million), plastics and rubber ($6.42 million), and furniture and woodworking ($600,000).