The Jordan Truck Owners Association (JTOA) on Thursday said Jordanian cargo trucks face technical obstacles at Egyptian borders and are subjected to high entry fees, demanding Jordanian government stakeholders to apply reciprocity with Egyptian trucks.
JTOA Chief Muhammad al-Dawood told Petra that cargo-loaded Jordanian trucks are obligated to pay entry fees up to $500 while unloaded trucks pay fees amounting to $165, at a time when Jordan-bound Egyptian trucks are granted facilities at the Kingdom’s entry points and are relieved from entry fees.
In addition to a trade balance tilting in favor of Egypt, Al-Dawood added, such facilities and fee exemptions allow Egyptian exporters to send large volumes of foodstuffs and agro produce to the Kingdom at lower costs.
Al-Dawood said that it is surprising how entry fees are imposed on Egypt-bound Jordanian trucks, while Egyptian trucks are exempted from any entry fees to Jordan, explaining that Jordanian carriers incur double fees on their trucks by the Egyptian authorities, whether upon direct entry or upon transit.
He warned that such fees imposed under different names and terms will cause Jordanian carriers to lose their ability to compete, pointing out that the movement of Jordanian trucks to Egypt is declining in an unprecedented way due to complications and fees. Three years ago, Al-Dawood noted, 200 Jordanian trucks used to travel to Egypt everyday.
“The Jordanian shipping sector and exports to Egypt are incurring heavy losses as a result of the restrictions that the Egyptian authorities constantly impose on Jordanian trucks and exporters,” Al-Dawood said, warning that such obstacles would curtail the Kingdom’s exports to Egypt and North Africa as a whole.
Source: Jordan News Agency