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