Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - Minister of Industry, Trade and Supply Yaroub Qudah said that the value of Jordan's exports to the U.S. market stood at $1.7 billion, noting that it is mostly focused on the sector of garments and textile.

During a roundtable discussion at the Jordan Business Association on Tuesday, the minister said that the government is exerting efforts to expand non-traditional markets for Jordanian exports that declined by 19 percent during 2014-2016 due to the current situation in the region.

The government's efforts he said are focused on the American and EU markets, adding that it is also exerting efforts to enter the African market and overcome obstacles and administrative procedures that prevent the flow of Jordanian goods to this market.

Qudah said that a delegation led by Kenya's trade minister will visit the Kingdom soon to hold talks on the signing of a free trade agreement between the two courtiers.

The minister also spoke about the difficult economic conditions facing Jordan due to the decline in exports to the Iraqi market. He said exports to the neighboring country went down from JD900 million in 2014 to JD320 million in 2016.

Other challenges facing the economic, he said, include the budget deficit, the rise in debts, moderate economic growth as well as the rise of unemployment rate which stood at 16 percent in 2016.