AMMAN — Jordan
imported clothing and footwear worth JD153 million in the first half of this
year, a significant increase over the same period of last year.
اضافة اعلان
In 2021, imports of such items were worth JD90
million, attributed by
Sultan Allan, head of the Textile and Readymade Clothes Syndicate, to the “recovery of the national economy from the consequences of
the COVID-19 pandemic”.
Allan told
Jordan News that despite the
increase, “we have not yet reached the rate of imports we were accustomed to”,
and commercial activity is not as vibrant, a state of affairs he blames on the
“postal parcels”.
“Jordan is the only country that distinguishes
postal parcels from traditional trade; it imposes higher fees and taxes on
traditional trade,” he said.
“The concerned authorities must set things right in
order to revive the commercial activity,” he said, stressing that despite the
several holidays and the advent of summer, markets did not witness brisk trade.
Worse, there is an unprecedented number of clothes
in stock that traders were unable to dispose of, Allan said.
“The purchasing
power of citizens is weak”, and if they can buy, they prefer postal parcels,
Allan pointed out.
Asaad Qawasmi, representative of the clothing sector
at the Jordan Chamber of Commerce, said that “the increase in the value of
imports does not mean better trade in the markets”.
On the contrary, it “is very weak, due to a
noticeable drop in the purchasing power of citizens”, he told
Jordan News.
“We had hoped that conditions would improve during
Eid Al-Adha period, but things did not happened as we had hoped,” he said. “One
of the reasons may be that Tawjihi exams coincided with the holidays; another
is that citizens’ priorities have changed.”
Qawasmi stressed that “the postal parcel has become
an unfair competitor and it has greatly affected the traditional retail
sector”.
“We are not against postal parcels, which is a
legitimate right of citizens, we are only against the unfair competition due to
high taxes and fees imposed on traders, which contributed significantly to a
state of stagnation and the accumulation of goods in stock,” he added.
While Qawasmi did not forecast a major recovery in
commercial activity in the coming period, he expressed hope that “the wedding
seasons will be an opportunity for traders to improve their situation”.
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