Tulkarm-Ma’an- Minister of National Economy Mohammad al-Amour and Minister of Industry Arafat Asfour discussed on Wednesday with economic figures in Tulkarm Governorate the economic situation and addressing a number of issues facing the private sector.

The field visit to Tulkarm included a meeting with Tulkarm Governor Mustafa Taqatqa, members of the Board of Directors of the Tulkarm Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and a meeting with traders and businessmen held at the Chamber of Commerce headquarters. A number of factories and the directorates of the Ministries of Economy and Industry were also visited, during which the overall economic situation in the governorate, priorities and required needs were discussed.

The governor said, “We are going through exceptional circumstances due to the Israeli aggression and the repeated targeting of life components in the governorate, especially the infrastructure and the repeated destruction, as Nour Shams camp was subjected to 28 raids, in addition to the sharp decl
ine in commercial activity and the high rates of unemployment and poverty.

The governor stressed the efforts being made to enhance the steadfastness of citizens despite the limited resources in coordination and partnership with various institutions, with the importance of developing a development plan that enhances the steadfastness of citizens.

The two ministers explained that this visit comes based on a field program to identify the needs and problems of citizens and economic activities and to devote partnership in reviving the economic situation according to the available capabilities, especially the governorates that are exposed to raids and systematic destruction of the infrastructure of the economy.

They reviewed the government’s program and agenda, which is based on the foundation of national unity as the only way to thwart Israeli plans, in addition to the efforts made by the government to confront the challenges and enhance the steadfastness of our people.

The economic activities pointed to the d
estruction of the infrastructure, especially since the governorate’s sources of income depend on the movement of workers and employees and the shopping of Palestinians inside, and therefore it is necessary to develop a rapid response plan to confront the challenges in partnership with all partners.

She stressed the importance of establishing a unified window for licenses, securing industrial facilities due to the occupation’s attacks, reviewing the unified classification of economic facilities, and the importance of directing reliance on renewable energy and allocating incentives for this purpose.

The economic activities indicated that commercial activity is witnessing a sharp decline as a result of 12,000 workers losing their sources of work, and the repercussions of the current financial crisis, and there are many shops that have been completely or partially destroyed and industrial facilities are on the verge of closing due to the decline in commercial activity and the repercussions of the Israeli aggres
sion.

She stressed the importance of the partnership between the government and the private sector to confront these challenges, and design urgent relief programs to enhance the steadfastness of citizens and the private sector.

The activities pointed out the importance of forming a specialized committee to limit the effects of the aggression on the governorate’s economy, the need for industrial zones in the governorate, strengthening and expanding the production base, and supporting national products.

She stressed the need to address random imports, and the high costs of production inputs that limit competition in the market between the national product and the imported one, and to pay attention to the spatial plan and the description of the use of land, industrial or agricultural, and the need to combine efforts to translate plans into reality to alleviate the suffering of citizens.

After listening to the two ministers, they confirmed that there will be a central committee to assess the damage in all gov
ernorates of the country, and currently a ministerial committee to study the spatial plan, and full readiness for partnership and cooperation in establishing an industrial zone in Tulkarm Governorate, which requires the initiative of the private sector to provide the requirements for establishing this zone.

The two ministers mentioned the importance of renewal and modernization in production to meet market needs, while emphasizing the government’s realism in implementing the available capabilities, pointing to the government initiatives in the renewable energy and economic empowerment sectors.

After listening to the issues of the private sector, the two ministers visited the ministry’s directorate, stressing the importance of making every effort to provide and simplify the provision of services so that citizens feel the difference. They and the accompanying delegation also inspected a number of factories operating in Tulkarm Governorate, where they were briefed on the status of the factories and their workf
low in light of the sharp decline in economic activity due to the repercussions of the aggression.

Source: Maan News Agency