AMMAN: Business leaders on Sunday valued His Majesty King Abdullah’s efforts to attract foreign investments to the country and to “open doors” for the Jordanian products into the international market, citing achievements made during His Majesty’s recent visit to The Netherland, following a milestone India visit.
In phone interviews with The Jordan Times, economic sector leaders said that the visits have had “direct” positive outcomes either in form of deals on joint economic ventures already signed between Jordanian businesspeople and their Dutch and Indian counterparts or in form of promised investments in the country “soon”.
“The King opens us doors to the international market and to well-established and prestigious world’s industries that we need to seize and be ready for,” said Basil Al Deek, representative and spokesperson for Jordan Exporters and Producers Organisation for Vegetables and Fruits.
Deek said that a Jordanian delegation of agriculture stakeholders and traders accompanied the King to The Netherlands, where they discussed with their Dutch counterparts ways to utilise the latter’s distinguished agricultural expertise.
“With The Netherlands being a leading exporter of agricultural products, we discussed with Dutch producers and traders the possibility that they help market the Jordanian agricultural produces to their worldwide network of importers.”
Deek added that talks also covered entering joint agricultural ventures between Jordanian and Dutch farmers.
His organisation, he said, has signed an agreement with the Dutch Centre for Import-Promotion (CBI). “This was one of the direct outcomes of that the King’s visit to The Netherlands.”
CBI is the agency of the ministry of foreign affairs of The Netherlands and part of the development cooperation with the European country’s partners.
Under the agreement, Deek said, the CBI will provide the organisation with exporting services, including markets data and analysis, exhibiting opportunities and training.
“Jordan has great agricultural potentials. During the King’s visit to The Netherlands, we succeeded in arousing the Dutch interest in this industry. It is now up to the Jordanian producers and traders to capitalise on this outcome.”
“The Dutch were very eager to help and they have transformed their pledges into actions,” said Wael Haddadin, owner of Kariem Haddadin Farms.
Haddadin said that the Dutch have put their modern greenhouse technology at the service of Jordan, adding that two Jordanian farmers have already received “giant greenhouses” with half of their price extended by the Dutch government.
