Amman, Sept. 17 (Petra)– Jordan is stepping up efforts to
strengthen the resilience of its supply chains and ensure adequate
strategic stocks of essential goods amid growing regional and
international challenges affecting trade and logistics.

Economists said His Royal Highness Crown Prince Al Hussein bin
Abdullah II’s directives to make supply chains a national priority
and maintain strategic reserves provide a framework for enhancing
national logistics security and ensuring the uninterrupted flow of
essential goods to local markets.

Speaking to the Jordan News Agency (Petra), they stressed the need to
strengthen public-private sector cooperation, accelerate customs
clearance and cargo release procedures, diversify sources and routes
of supply, and establish an integrated national system for managing
supply chains and inventories.

The Crown Prince, the Regent, on Wednesday chaired part of a Cabinet
session and called for accelerating efforts to address the economic
repercussions of the escalation in the region. He directed the
relevant authorities to treat supply chains as a national priority
and take the necessary measures to maintain strategic stocks of
essential goods and materials.

Nabil Al-Khatib, First Deputy Chairman of the Amman Chamber of
Commerce, said the directives highlight the need to move beyond the
traditional concept of strategic stockpiling toward a broader
approach centered on national logistics security.

He said such an approach would help ensure the continued availability
of goods and services and maintain the resilience of supply chains
under different circumstances.

Al-Khatib proposed establishing a national council for supply chain
and supply continuity and logistics security, bringing together
representatives of the public and private sectors. The council, he
said, would develop an integrated national framework to implement the
royal directives and establish a clear action plan with defined
responsibilities, implementation timelines and measurable performance
indicators.

The plan should focus on ensuring the continued supply of essential
and strategic goods to local markets, maintaining safe inventory
levels, reducing dependence on a single source or supply route,
accelerating customs clearance and cargo release, and improving the
efficiency of logistics operations, he said.

Al-Khatib also called for establishing an integrated national
database covering supply chains and inventories. The database would
facilitate information sharing between government agencies and
private-sector stakeholders, support decision-making and strengthen
preparedness for potential disruptions to trade and supply flows.

He said developing a comprehensive national logistics security system
has become a strategic necessity in light of rapidly evolving
regional and international challenges. Effective cooperation between
the government and private sector, he added, is essential to ensuring
resilient and sustainable supply chains and strengthening the
Kingdom’s ability to respond to crises.

Daifallah Abu Aqoula, head of the Jordanian Association of Clearance
and Freight Transport Companies, said the Crown Prince’s directives
come at a particularly important time, as the region faces
geopolitical challenges, disruptions to global logistics corridors
and rising shipping and insurance costs.

He said translating the directives into practical measures requires a
shift toward proactive management and continuity by facilitating the
movement of goods, speeding up customs clearance and cargo release,
activating pre-clearance systems and expanding the use of the green
channel for essential goods. These measures would help ensure that
essential commodities reach local markets without unnecessary delays.

Abu Aqoula also stressed the importance of strengthening strategic
stocks of essential goods and vital materials and providing the
private sector with the incentives and facilities needed to expand
storage capacity. This would contribute to enhancing the Kingdom’s
food and pharmaceutical security and improve its ability to deal with
external developments and disruptions.

He called for diversifying import sources and transportation routes
and avoiding dependence on a single route or country of origin.
Developing effective alternative logistics routes, he said, would
help ensure the continued flow of goods under different
circumstances.

Abu Aqoula also stressed the need to address increases in shipping
and insurance costs for essential goods in order to limit their
impact on local markets.

He called for stronger coordination among government institutions,
regulatory authorities and the private sector through joint
mechanisms that would allow challenges to be addressed quickly and
efficiently. He also emphasized the importance of streamlining
regulatory and technical procedures while maintaining the necessary
level of oversight.

Establishing a national system to monitor inventories and supply
chains and facilitate data exchange among relevant stakeholders would
improve decision-making, enhance transparency and contribute to
market stability, Abu Aqoula said.

He noted that Jordan has the logistical capabilities and
infrastructure needed to maintain its position as a safe and stable
regional hub, stressing that stronger supply chain preparedness and
strategic reserves are essential to protecting national economic
security and supporting market stability under different
circumstances.

Hamza Al-Halaika, a member of the Board of Directors of the General
Association of Foodstuff Merchant, said the Crown Prince’s attention
to the issue and his follow-up on the file at this sensitive time
reflect the Hashemite leadership’s continued concern for citizens and
their living conditions.

He stressed the importance of strengthening coordination among
government institutions directly involved in supply chains by
facilitating and accelerating the movement of goods through customs
crossings.

He also called for continued coordination with international shipping
companies to ensure the priority and continuity of shipments arriving
at Aqaba Port, as well as speeding up the completion of procedures
with the relevant authorities.

//Petra//WH