Large turnout expected at 2nd Jordan food expo

AMMAN — Consumers will have the chance to buy and taste products from around 150 Jordanian companies expected to take part in the Jordan Food Exhibition 2016 which will open June 1.

President of the Foodstuff Traders Association Khalil Haj Tawfiq told The Jordan Times on Tuesday that the five-day event at Al Hussein Youth City is expected to attract thousands of visitors. 

“It is the biggest food exhibition in the Kingdom. Consumers will have the opportunity to directly buy and taste products showcased at the exhibition,” said the syndicate chief, who added that exhibitors will also provide discount offers on direct sales. 

Last year’s expo, which saw the participation of 100 firms, attracted 100,000 visitors, he said, adding that deals worth JD100 million were signed between local factories and foreign importers.

The 150 participating exhibitors in this year’s expo include factories, wholesalers and retailers, Haj Tawfiq said.

The exhibition, who will also see culinary arts live, will also get acquainted with the variety of alternative food products available in the domestic market.

According to Haj Tawfiq, the size of the domestic food sector has expanded from JD3.5 billion to JD4 billion due to the influx of around 1.3 million Syrian refugees. 

Around 85 per cent of food commodities in the local market are imported, he said, indicating that there are around 15,000 businesses involved in the food sector including hypermarkets, shopping malls and manufacturers.

The event allows local producers to find new markets for Jordanian-made food products, as Jordan’s major conventional markets in Syria and Iraq have been closed due to instability there, he said.

The closure of the Iraqi border had a heavy toll on the sectoras the trouble hit countryused to be the second biggest market for Jordanian products after the US with JD1 billion worth of exports, Haj Tawfiq said.