Kibbutz industries eye Aqaba
Jordanian government luring Israeli enterprises to planned Aqaba free trade zone
TEL AVIV - The Kibbutz Industry Association is probing the option of opening industrial enterprises in the planned free trade zone in Jordan, just north of Aqaba.
Amos Rabin, director general of the association, and representatives of large Israeli enterprises visited Jordan this week to look into the matter.
The free trade zone is a joint initiative by American, Turkish and Jordanian companies. Members of the Israeli delegation met with free trade zone chief Sheldon Fink to discuss terms offered by the Jordanian government should they decide to set up Israeli industries in the area.
According to Rabin, kibbutz enterprises have seen a 40 percent increase in activity in the past year.
“The Kibbutz Industry Association doesn’t encourage moving industries outside of Israel, but if the management of a company decides it’s the right move, the association will offer to examine the option of setting up a plant or a production line in Jordan instead of in China or any other country,” he said.
Rabin said the free trade zone in Aqaba has many advantages, including cheap and readily available labor, generous assistance from the Jordanian government, access to Arab markets and low energy costs.
