Intensified efforts needed to cement Jordan-Canada trade ties — JCC chairman

AMMAN — Chairman of the Jordan Chamber of Commerce (JCC) Khalil Hajj Tawfiq on Sunday revealed that the sustained low rate of trade between Jordan and Canada can be attributed to private and public sector negligence after the signing of the free trade agreement, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

Hajj Tawfiq urged a study be conducted on customs-exempt commodities and materials consumed and purchased by residents in Canada, highlighting the importance of presenting the findings of the study to Jordanian investors wishing to introduce their products to Canadian markets.

In 2023, the two countries are working to activate the bilateral free trade agreement, expedite visits between trade delegations, exert more efforts to market Jordanian exports and hold permanent exhibitions to promote tourism and increase investment opportunities.

Signed in 2009, the Jordan-Canada free trade agreement entered into force in 2012, making it the first free trade agreement signed between Canada and an Arab country.

According to statistics, the volume of trade between the Kingdom and Canada amounted to JD116 million in 2022, tilting the trade balance in favour of the Kingdom, as the value of national exports to Canada reached about JD80 million, against imports of about JD36 million. 

In coordination with the Jordanian embassy in Canada, the chamber will organise a Jordanian economic delegation’s visit to Canada during the coming summer.

The chairman pointed out that the delegation will discuss promoting Jordanian exports and examining the possibility of benefiting from Canada’s agricultural sector to contribute to achieving food security in Jordan.

Hajj Tawfiq also called for Canadian economic delegations to be invited to Jordan to discuss investment opportunities, adding that trade between the two countries will see a “significant leap” in 2024 if the Kingdom’s public and private sectors intensify their efforts to cement economic and trade relations.