APC announces export of largest red granular potash shipment in its history


Amman: The Arab Potash Company (APC) declared on Saturday that it had shipped 56,800 tons of red granular potash to Brazil, making it the largest export of the product in company history.

The shipment coincides with the beginning of trial production operations at the soon-to-be formally inaugurated new granular potash facility, which will help boost the APC’s granular potash production capacity from 500,000 tons to 1.2 million tons a year.

APC Chairman, Shehadah Abu Hdaib, confirmed that this step is the result of the company’s continuous efforts to expand and grow by investing in technology and innovation, developing new products and categories, and opening up non-traditional markets.

He stressed that the APC is taking steady and deliberate steps to expand the reach of its diverse and high-quality products to various global markets in implementation of its strategy aimed at achieving growth and maximizing returns by diversifying products and positioning itself in markets with high price returns.

He point
ed out that the new granular potash plant is a qualitative leap in the journey of the APC, as it will enable it to reach new markets and enhance its competitive capabilities on a global level, stressing that the company will continue its efforts to strengthen its leading position in the production and export of potash in the world.

Abu Hdaib explained that the entry of the APC’s exports to the Brazilian market has increased the volume of Jordanian exports and had a positive impact on the trade balance, noting that the company is committed to strengthening the supply of global markets with potash as an essential element in ensuring the availability of grains and agricultural products for end users and customers, and thus enhancing global food security, especially in light of the geopolitical challenges facing the world.

For his part, APC’s CEO, Maen Nsour, explained that red granular potash helped the company enter new major markets, the top of which is the Brazilian market, which consumes more than 12 milli
on tons annually, which is also considered an important market within the global markets consuming potash, supported by agricultural industries that play a major role in achieving global food security.

He added that red granular potash is exported to other strategic markets, such as the American, Australian, and Thai and Vietnamese markets, noting that the consumption of red granular potash constitutes more than 35% of the total potash consumption in the world.

Nsour pointed out that the traditional markets in which the APC has been present during the past decades are currently witnessing fierce price competition due to the change that has occurred in the global potash trade pathways in light of the continued geopolitical unrest in the Black Sea and the sanctions on major potash-producing countries and companies.

He explained that the APC produced and sold in 2023 new varieties of potash with special chemical and physical compositions to meet the needs of customers in new markets and expand the company’s c
ustomer base, pointing out that the company has also innovated new logistical solutions that included the use of major ports in Europe to transport potash exports to other ports; and using these ports as distribution centers, which contributed to reaching a larger number of customers.

The Arab Potash Company opened a representative office in the city of S?o Paulo in Brazil in February 2023 with the aim of increasing its sales of red granular potash to this important market, which is expected to witness growth in the future, as the company’s sales to Brazil are expected to reach 450,000 tons during 2024 compared to less than 50,000 tons before 2020.

Brazil is one of the largest consumers of fertilizers in the world, and it is also the largest importer of potassium fertilizer in the world, as it consumes about 17% of the world’s production of this material.

Source: Jordan News Agency

President Al-Mashat offers his condolences to Russian President on criminal attack’s victimsForeign Ministry following up on infiltration, arrest news of 2 armed men from Jordan to Palestine

His Excellency Field Marshal Mahdi Al-Mashat, Head of the Supreme Political Council, sent a message of condolence to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the friendly Russian people, and the families of the victims in the criminal attack near the capital, Moscow.

His Excellency President Al-Mashat condemned in the strongest terms the criminal attack that took place in a hall near the Russian capital, Moscow, which resulted in many victims and injuries. He wished recovery for all those injured.

Source: Yemen News Agency

Amman: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates said it is following up on the news circulating in the Israeli media about arrest of two gunmen near the Palestinian village of Fasayel after crossing the Jordanian border.

In a statement on Saturday, the ministry’s official spokesperson, Dr. Sufian Qudah, said the ministry, through Jordanian Embassy in Tel Aviv, is following up with Israeli authorities to verify authenticity of this news.

Source: Jordan News Agency

FM: Netanyahu’s threat to attack Rafah a challenge to world


Amman: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Ayman Safadi, said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s threat to attack Rafah is a challenge to the world, including the United States.

In a tweet on the X platform Saturday, Safadi noted another massacre of 2.3 million Palestinians who are starving due to the Israeli siege cannot be allowed.

Safadi added that the Security Council must put an end to this Gaza catastrophe, and the resolution must be adopted, even if just to say “no to mass killing.”

Source: Jordan News Agency

Guterres to visit Jordan Sunday


Amman: The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, will visit Jordan tomorrow, which will also include Egypt.

In a news conference, the UN official spokesperson , Farhan Haq, said Guterres’ “Ramadan solidarity tour” this year comes “during turbulent times, with the conflict in Gaza,” during which he will call for a humanitarian ceasefire, especially in Gaza and Sudan.

Guterres will visit UNRWA facilities that provide services to Palestinian refugees in Jordan, and “will have a Ramadan iftar with Palestine refugees and United Nations staff in Amman,” Haq pointed out.

Haq added that “Guterres is expected to hold meetings with Jordanian officials” in Amman.

Source: Jordan News Agency

ACC Streamlines Business Processes with One-Stop Shop


Amman: The Amman Chamber of Commerce’s (ACC) one-stop shop provided a total of 241,500 services, encompassing both electronic and direct interactions, in 2023.

The facility, visited by 94,734 individuals last year, centralizes services from various ministries and official institutions. It streamlines processes for an ACC-based labor office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Department of Lands and Survey, Income and Sales Tax, the Notary Public, and the Greater Amman Municipality’s professional licensing unit office.

Additional services include an ACC-based Social Security Corporation office, a Civil Status Department office, and the General Food and Drug Administration office, along with “i.e. your invoices,” a platform for managing invoices.

Statistical data highlighted 12,805 work permit issuances, 187,000 document authentication transactions, 25,835 land and surveying services, and 6,000 income and sales tax filings. The Notary Public Office completed 4,592 transactions, including authentications an
d judicial transactions.

The Greater Amman Municipality’s Professions Licensing Unit Office and the Office of the Civil Status Department processed 5,231 and 11,927 transactions, respectively. Meanwhile, the Jordan Food and Drug Administration office handled 913 transactions related to licenses and certificates.

Khalil Haj Tawfiq, Chamber President, praised the efficiency of government agency representatives at the Chamber, highlighting the positive impact on the Kingdom’s business and investment climate.

He emphasized the one-stop shop’s role in simplifying transactions for the capital’s commercial and service sectors, improving the business environment.

Tawfiq expressed gratitude towards official authorities for their support and cooperation, underlining the Chamber’s commitment to enhancing services and introducing new government agency offices.

He encouraged companies, commercial and service institutions, and citizens to utilize the one-stop service center to facilitate transactions, save time, and r
educe effort.

Source: Jordan News Agency

UNICEF: Most victims of Gaza war are children


Amman: United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) spokesman James Elder said Saturday what is happening in Gaza has become a war on children, stressing that the Strip is no longer a suitable place for children at present.

Elder, who visited Gaza twice since the war began on October 7, said children are the most affected in Gaza, adding that “what is happening there is a war on the children themselves,” according to the UN’s official website.

In all crises, wars harm the most vulnerable groups, children, and children often constitute about 20 percent of the death toll, but in Gaza this number is close to 40 percent, as more than 10,000 children have been killed since the beginning of the war, and the number is rising.

Elder pointed to despair in Gaza, where people are extremely fatigue with many hungry people amid fears that Israel will launch a military offensive on the southern town of Rafah.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Jordan participates in MITT in Moscow-JTB


Amman: Jordan Tourism Board (JTB) concluded its participation in Moscow International Travel and Tourism Exhibition 2024 (MITT), which was held in the Russian capital, Moscow, during the period from March 19 to 21.

12 Jordanian tourism and travel agencies, Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA) and Royal Jordanian (RJ) took part in the event, in the presence of Jordanian Ambassador to Russia, Khaled Shawabkeh.

In a statement Saturday, JTB said Jordan’s participation in this year’s exhibition came within a “distinguished” pavilion that showcases Jordan’s magnificent tourist destinations, primarily the Kingdom’s splendid archaeological sites and the important cultural and religious experiences.

The Jordan pavilion attracted the visitors’ attention, thanks to its provision of a comprehensive overview of the Kingdom’s tourism diversity as a tourist destination, JTB noted.

JTB Director General, Dr. Abdul Razzaq Arabiyat, said, “MITT is a real opportunity for Jordan’s tourism promotion, as it is the la
rgest travel event in Russia and the region, and also brings representatives of the tourism industry in Russia and other regions of the world.”

Arabiyat added, “The exhibition is the preferred place for meeting andmarketing tourism and an opportunity to meet with tourism operators and media professionals. It also allows for learning more about the destination of tourists and getting a real idea regarding the Jordanian tourist market and its unique attractions for Russian travelers.”

Additionally, Arabiyat continued: “JTB’s participation in the MITT reflects our firm commitment to promote Jordan’s tourism and attract more Russian tourists to the Kingdom.”

Through its MITT’s participation, Arabiyat also stressed that the JTB seeks to increase the number of tourists to the Kingdom and achieve common goals in tourism and travel fields.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Gaza Strip: Death toll up to 32,142, says Health Ministry


Gaza: The death toll from Israel’s ongoing war on the Gaza Strip soared to 32,142 on Saturday and the number injured to 74,412, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

It said that Israeli forces carried out seven massacres in the last 24 hours, and that 72 dead and 114 wounded arrived in hospitals.

The ministry said that a number of victims were still under the rubble of buildings targeted by air raids, or on the roads with ambulance and civil defense crews unable to reach them.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Israeli forces target people waiting for aid in Gaza, killing dozens


Amman: Israeli occupation forces Saturday perpetrated a new massacre against people waiting for relief aid at the Kuwait Roundabout, southeast of the Gaza Strip, according to Palestinian sources.

They said troops opened fire on hundreds of people waiting for humanitarian aid, killing or injuring dozens.

A number of the victims were transferred to the Baptist Hospital in Gaza, the sources added.

Source: Jordan News Agency

3 journalists killed in Israeli bombing in Gaza, raising total to 136


Amman: Three journalists were killed in Israel’s ongoing war on the Gaza Strip, raising to 136 the total number since the aggression began on October 7, according to the government media office in Gaza.

It said in a statement Saturday that journalists Abdul Rahman Saimeh, a cameraman with Raqami TV channel, and Mahmoud Issa, a presenter with Al-Quds Today satellite channel, were killed when Israeli forces bombed two houses.

Journalist Mohammad al-Rifi, a photographer with multiple media outlets, died of wounds he sustained at the Kuwait Roundabout, southeast of Gaza City, the media office said.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Cypriot President says maritime corridor broke Israeli blockade imposed on Gaza


Amman: Cypriot President Nicos Christodoulides said that the establishment of the maritime corridor to deliver food aid from his country to Gaza broke the Israeli blockade imposed on the Strip for the first time in 17 years.

Christodoulides told Euronews on Saturday, that the new Mediterranean corridor “could become a wider blueprint” for resolving many of the region’s humanitarian challenges.

Almost 200 tons of food aid were shipped from Cyprus to the Gaza Strip, where a devastating Israeli war has been going on since October 7.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Industrialists lay out hurdles to Jordan-Iraq trade


Amman: Industrialists Saturday identified numerous obstacles standing in the way of increased Jordanian exports to Iraq, top of which is customs duties, delays in bank transfers and visa procedures.

During a meeting at the Amman Chamber of Industry, they pointed to other challenges, mainly protectionism by the Iraqi side, multiple and high inspection fees and border delays.

They warned that persistent trade challenges would undermine opportunities to achieve economic integration and launch joint ventures, stressing that efforts should be stepped up to overcome these hurdles and promote joint projects, given the strong relations between the two countries at various levels.

Fathi Jaghbir, Amman and Jordan Chambers of Industry President, said the chambers will prepare a matrix of key trade hindrances that will be followed up with concerned authorities and reach out to the Iraqi side to find solutions.

He said Iraq is a key economic partner of Jordan, pointing to enormous and vast prospects for cooperation be
tween the private sector in both countries towards achieving industrial integration between them.

For his part, member of the Iraqi Business Council Board of Directors in Amman, Ahmad Al-Amili, pointed out that Jordanian products are popular in the Iraqi market due to their quality, adding that Iraq is currently witnessing a major economic “renaissance” across many sectors.

Iraqi Business Council CEO Abeer Al-Naib announced that the Economic Forum for Financial, Industrial and Commercial Partnerships between Iraq, Jordan and the region, in cooperation with the Jordan and Amman Chambers of Industry, will be held in May 5-6 at the King Hussein Bin Talal Convention Center in the Dead Sea.

She said the forum will tackle key trade obstacles between the two countries, calling it a real opportunity to enhance economic and trade ties, promote investment opportunities, and launch joint ventures.

The volume of trade (exports and imports) between Jordan and Iraq was at JD833 million in 2023, including JD637 million
Jordanian exports.

Source: Jordan News Agency