AMMAN -- Products made in Turkey are gaining popularity in the Jordanian market, with businessmen describing Turkey as the "China of Europe".
They attributed the growing demand on Turkish goods to competitive quality and prices when compared with imports from other countries.
From fancy furniture, electronics and clothes to sweets, products made in Turkey are sweeping the local market due to factors related to quality and prices, Jordan Chamber of Commerce President Nael Kabariti said.
He lamented that the free trade agreement signed between Amman and Ankara in 2009 gave Turkish products more advantages even over goods manufactured in Jordan as well as imports from other markets.
"Goods made in Turkey are attractive for Jordanians because of decent quality and competitive price," he told The Jordan Times, noting that such products are competing with higher quality items made in European countries.
Disgruntled by what he termed as unfair competition between Jordanian and Turkish industries because it harms local manufacturers, Kabariti explained that production costs in Turkey are lower than in the Kingdom due to government subsidies there and advanced expertise.
The free trade agreement unleashed an invasion of Turkish goods on the local market, the merchants' top representative said, adding: "Partnerships cannot be made between the strong and the weak". According to official figures, trade exchange between Jordan and Turkey during the first three quarters of this year reached $477 million.
Jordanian exports stood at $58.5 million, while imports from Turkey exceeded $418 million.
Saeed Hinnawi, marketing manager at Naseem Al Dada Company, which is the sole distributor of BEKO electronics in Jordan, dubbed Turkey as the "China of Europe".
He indicated when electronics manufactured in Turkey started to enter the local market 10 years ago, consumers deemed them as better quality than those made in certain Asian countries.
"Consumers, nowadays, prefer to purchase Turkish electronics over same items made in China for example, although Chinese products are around 10 to 15 per cent cheaper," Hinnawi said, stressing that consumers view Turkish goods as European made.
Increasing consumer trust in Turkish products has made marketing easier, he noted.
With annual revenues of Turkey's BEKO at around $35 billion, Hinnawi mentioned that Turkish industries are gaining popularity worldwide, not only in Jordan.
Salah Hmeidan, president of the Garment Traders Association, had the same to say about Turkish goods.
Clothes made in Turkey have been popular in Jordan for years, but the free trade agreement, which scrapped custom fees on products exchanged between the two countries, has sharply boosted imports from Ankara.
The design and style of Turkish clothes suit Jordanian consumers, he said, adding that the quality and prices of these garment items are very competitive to clothes of European origin.
Hmeidan ranked China as the largest import destination for Jordanian garment traders, with Turkey among top markets.
Samer Jawabreh, president of Foodstuff Traders Association, told The Jordan Times that the Kingdom imports large quantities of sweets, such as chocolates and biscuits, from Turkey in addition to cereals, vegetables oil and dairy products.
He also attributed the rise in imports to the free trade agreement in addition to logistic facilities and factors related to quality and price.
Ahmad Awwad, a sales officer at an electronic mega-store in Amman, said customers visit the store searching for certain washing machines, TVs or refrigerators made in Turkey.
"Some customers ask immediately whether the store sells Turkish products or not," he added.
"Many Jordanians want affordable but good-quality products and such specifications are available in Turkish items," Khaled Awamleh, a worker at a private company told The Jordan Times, while shopping at an electronics shop in the capital.
© Jordan Times 2012
