JORDAN'S STONE AND MARBLE INDUSTRY: BETWEEN A ROCK

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 AMMAN 003817 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE PASS TO AID E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON ETRD EIND EAID JO SUBJECT: JORDAN'S STONE AND MARBLE INDUSTRY: BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE ¶1. Summary: Exports to the U.S. from Jordan's stone and marble industry reached $1.3 million in 2006, representing one of the few Jordanian goods besides garments to enter the U.S. market, but still only a small fraction of the $1.4 billion in total Jordanian exports to the U.S. Although the construction boom in Jordan and preferential tariff treatment under the U.S.-Jordan Free Trade Agreement (FTA) provide opportunities for this sector, problems in licensing, shipping and labor have hindered growth, and some industrial-scale factories have found it difficult to penetrate the U.S. market. Developing niche products and relationships with American buyers through USAID assistance has been the secret to at least one Jordanian exporter's success. End Summary. Industry Stats -------------- ¶2. According to Mohammad al Shami, head of Jordan Stone and Tile Exporters Association (JOSTONE),Jordan's marble and stone industry is composed of about 1,500 businesses, the majority of which are small workshops with only a handful of employees. Only 10-15 factories are industrial-scale, focusing primarily on exports and large construction projects in Jordan. Shami told Econoff September 5 that the sector employs around 6,000 laborers, 80 percent of which are Egyptian. Total exports of tiles and marble reached JD 7.4 million ($10.5 million) in 2005 and dropped to JD 7 million ($9.9 million) in 2006, representing 0.3 percent of Jordan's total industrial exports. According to the U.S. International Trade Commission, exports to the United States of articles of stone, plaster, cement, and similar materials more than doubled in 2005 to $1.1 million and increased further to $1.3 million in 2006. Challenges: Supply of Raw Materials and Labor -------------- ¶3. After participating in a JOSTONE-organized tour of three industrial factories with USAID Director on September 3, Industry and Trade Minister Salem Khaza'aleh praised the industry in the press for significantly enhancing its products and competing in international markets. Shami noted to Econoff, though, that the factories visited during the tour represented the success stories, and the industry still faced some significant challenges to future growth, particularly access to labor and raw materials. ¶4. Shami commented that the Ministry of Labor had made it difficult to get work permits for foreign laborers, who are needed due to the lack of Jordanian interest in such work. Various factory owners have corroborated this perception to Econoff, saying that many Jordanians do not realize that high-tech equipment and computers now do the hard labor and enable employees "to not even touch a stone." ¶5. Claiming that Jordan has abundant stone, marble and granite resources, Shami also criticized the Government of Jordan (GOJ),particularly the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Authority, for restrictive policies, lengthy procedures, and arbitrary decisions on granting licenses for mining and quarrying in regions such as Ajloun and Mafraq. In his view, such bureaucratic problems hindered Jordan's ability to supply large international markets such as the U.S. ¶6. In contrast, Nassar Nassar, the CEO and General Manager of Nassar Stone, told Econoff that a large enough quantity of raw materials does not exist in Jordan, adding that where it does exist, mining is prohibited. With factories in the Palestinian territories, Jordan, and Oman, Nassar claims to have the largest stone company in the Middle East and to have established the trademark "Jerusalem stone." Established in 1999, Nassar's Orient Factory is the largest in Jordan, with approximately 50 Jordanian and 30 Egyptian employees and sales around $8 million. Nassar said that he had bought at least ten expensive parcels of land in Jordan for quarrying and has had to shut them all down for lack of supply and quality. He also noted that unlike in Oman, no geological surveys have been done in Jordan to help investors identify potential reserves. Most of the stone and marble for the Nasser Group now comes from the Palestinian areas or Oman. Varying Degrees of Export Success to the U.S. Market AMMAN 00003817 002 OF 003 -------------- -------------- ¶7. Although stone and marble are among the few goods besides garments that comprise Jordan's exports to the U.S., Jordan's stone producers have not yet achieved significant sales volumes in the United States. The Jordan Overseas Investment Network in the United States (JOINUS) conducted an assessment of the U.S. stone market and implications for Jordan's stone exporters in January 2007. It noted that Jordan's main stone products with potential in the U.S. market are travertine and limestone, including Hallabat, Ajloun, Karaki, and Mafraq. Most JOINUS interviewees, however, noted that they were not familiar with Jordan's stone products, and at least one U.S. company expressed concerns about problems with packaging of tiles and inability to deliver the color contracted. Another issue identified was inventory financing as stone buyers rarely pay suppliers up-front. ¶8. Nassar identified a larger problem of shipping. While 75-80 percent of the Orient's production used to be exported to the U.S., he said that figure dropped to about five percent in 2006 due to high shipping costs that are double the costs of shipping out of Haifa. Additionally, he said shipping companies in Jordan tend to be less professional, unable to trace containers and handle the delicate stone appropriately. Thus, his factory in Bethlehem now services distributors and importers in the U.S. market, while the Jordanian factory primarily caters to the Gulf region, Korea, and China. ¶9. Management at the industrial-scale Jordan Marble factory also expressed frustration to Econoff about unsuccessful efforts since 1992 to enter the U.S. market, blaming Israeli competition. The company is now trying a new tactic of exporting to the U.S. through agents in Greece. Commenting on his competitor's (and "friend's") lack of success in the United States, Nasser noted that Jordan Marble has not yet transformed from within to have state-of-the art equipment and products that meet the high standards required in the American market. Indeed, during visits to both factories, Econoff noted that the Orient factory - from the offices to the production line - was significantly cleaner and more modern than Jordan Marble. ¶10. Sultan Yasin, the General Manager of the stone and marble factory Yasin and Sons Co., agreed that reliability, high quality, and efficiency in delivering finished products have been key in developing relationships with U.S. buyers. He proudly described his success in penetrating the U.S. market with high-end projects in Beverly Hills, Detroit, and Orlando that contributed significantly to the company's $3 million in sales in 2006. Yasin's factory is actually smaller than Jordan Marble with about 35 Jordanians (including ten in management) and 30 foreign laborers. ¶11. When asked about the secret to his success, Yasin said that he greatly benefited from the USAID-funded Jordan-U.S. Business Partnership (JUSBP) in 2004 that helped him to promote his products through better business practices and participation in trade shows in the U.S. NOTE: The USAID-funded Tatweer program, as a follow-on to JUSBP, continues to support the stone and marble sector with firm-level assistance, as well as U.S. trade show attendance. END NOTE. Contrary to maintaining a stock of tiles for sale, as is done in Jordan Marble, he has been filling a "niche" market by specializing in fabrication of custom-made products. Given problems with the restricted Jordanian supply and inventory financing, Yasin "does not care where the raw materials come from," and uses Jerusalem and imported stone to fill orders only as they come in, similar to the Orient Factory. Yasin also commented that the tariff reductions under the FTA essentially translate into free shipping for the buyer. Who's Supplying Construction in Jordan -------------- ¶12. The construction boom in Jordan has resulted in increased business for the country's stone and marble sector. The larger factories have been focusing on the larger-scale projects, such as new hotels, shopping malls, and restaurants. Nassar said that his company's local projects have increased by about 10 percent in the last year, and he expects local business to increase another 40 percent by 2008 AMMAN 00003817 003 OF 003 due to a number of large construction projects in the pipeline. Approximately 25 percent of Yasin's business is also directed at supplying stone and marble to new local hotels and other large-scale projects in Jordan. ¶13. According to JOSTONE, small- and medium-sized factories are being contracted to fill orders for the significant number of residential buildings that seem to be springing up on ever street corner in Amman. Shami mentioned that the smaller-sized factories tend to go unnoticed by the government when they mine the Jordanian mountainsides without licenses. Otherwise, he said stone for local projects is often imported from the West Bank. Visit Amman's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/amman/ Hale