The value of Jordan’s industrial product grew by 8.9 percent in the first five months of 2001 compared with the corresponding period of the previous year, recently published official statistics reveal.
The General Statistics Bureau attributed this rise to an 11.5 percent climb in output of local manufacturing industries between January and May 2001, reported the London based Al-Sharq Al-Awsat daily. Manufacturing industries contribute up to 76 percent of overall local industrial output.
Jordan’s industrial sector is comprised mainly of manufacturing and mining industries, which are generally owned by small private enterprises. These consist, for the most part, of food processing plants, clothing and textile factories. Large-scale industries are usually government-run, and include cement, non-organic fertilizers, and refined petroleum.
Inconsistent access to near-by markets and limited domestic purchasing power has added to the country’s inability to establish a large-scale manufacturing industry. In 1999, ten percent of Jordan’s labor force was employed by the manufacturing sector, contributing to approximately 15 percent of the GDP. ― (MENA Report)
© 2001 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
