Director of Export Promotion: Supplying Support for Exporters

DAMASCUS, (ST) – Director General of Development and Export Promotion  Agency, Ihab Ismandar, underlined that his Agency continues to provide direct and indirect support to Syrian exports and that there has been no radical change in the business strategy, concerning the Agency, issued two years ago, despite of  some modifications to this strategy in response to the conditions experienced by the country and the economic sanctions imposed on it.

 Mr. Ismandar  said the work had focused on the present circumstances to intensify the establishment of foreign exhibitions and to participate in international exhibitions to promote the Syrian products in addition to organizing meetings of Syrian businessmen with their counterparts on the sidelines of each exhibition to provide wider opportunities for business cooperation.

“The Agency has conducted over the past year several studies involving many products and markets in order to enhance the growth opportunities of Syrian exports to the establishment of some training courses in order to develop work export and help exporters to develop their abilities to penetrate new markets and strengthen their presence in traditional markets,” he pointed out

“The Agency has focused on increasing and strengthening cooperation with the relevant authorities in order to coordinate on export development and exhibitions,  especially the Ministry of Economy and Trade, Federations of Chambers of Commerce and Industry and Agricultural, exporters and joint  business councils, noting the efforts exerted by these parties in the development of export opportunities for Syrian products,” Mr. Ismandar said.

“The Agency is planning to support the Syrian participation in 58 exhibitions of various Syrian products although it does not provide support for each Syrian exhibitions abroad but requests  of exhibitions’ organizers are studied to provide support according to the possibilities,” he explained.

“The Agency has done the bulk of the system of export in Syria through the creation of the Agency and the Exporters Association ,the creation of the Development Fund for Exports and the office of the rapid intervention to organize the process of export development and promotion of products, opening  new markets and supplying support and solving problems of exports in addition to providing financial support through the Fund’s administrative body, financially independent,” the director added.

“A legal final vision regarding Exports Credit Guarantee Agency and a Bank for Financing Exports and Imports was mapped out.  The private sector will take part in the financing of this project , explaining that the work is postponed at the moment due to the circumstances that the country is going through,” he clarified.

“There is a plan to create several centers affiliated to the Agency in a number of areas in order to deliver services to exporters revealing that the idea of making the Syrian House in a number of world capitals is ready and waiting for the right conditions to work out where the Syrian House includes home sections for tourist and cultural promotion as well as economic and trade promotion,” Mr. Ismandar noted.

 The Director confirmed that the total support given by the Agency since its creation until now reached about 600 million Syrian Pounds,  stressing that the Agency provides indirect support to exporters through the establishment of training courses and studies of markets and marketing opportunities for some of the products as well as to ensure the large part of the costs of  holding exhibitions abroad or participation in international exhibitions. The Syrian exporters have to seize this opportunity and offer Syrian products adequately of the various aspects of quality, price and specifications for this product to be able to strengthen its presence in foreign markets.

Sh. Kh.