Trade Surplus with US Reaches JD 187 Million in Q1

Amman: Jordan's trade balance with the United States achieved a surplus of JD 187 million during the first quarter of this year. According to figures picked up by the Jordan News Agency (Petra) based on foreign trade data from the Department of Statistics, the volume of trade exchanges between Jordan and the United States in the first quarter of this year amounted to approximately JD 789 million, compared to JD 823 million for the same period last year. National exports to the American market grew by 1.03 percent in the first quarter, reaching JD 488 million, up from JD 483 million for the same period last year. Imports from the American market totaled JD 301 million in the first quarter of this year, compared to JD 340 million for the same period last year, marking a decrease of 11.5 percent. Jordanian exports to the US include clothing and related accessories, jewelry, fertilizers, pharmaceutical preparations, information technology services, food and live animal products, as well as engineering industr ies. On the other hand, Jordan's imports from the US encompass metal products, transportation equipment, machinery, electrical appliances, grains, chemical products, medical devices, food industry products, wood pulp, animal products, furniture, iron products, used clothing, vegetable oils and fats, and wood products. It is noteworthy that the free trade agreement between Jordan and the United States, signed in October 2000, came into full effect in January 2010. This agreement has led to an estimated 800 percent increase in bilateral trade exchange. Source: Jordan News Agency