Efforts to Develop the Syrian Chemical Sector and Restore it to Foreign Markets

To reposition the Syrian industry on the economic map and focus on returning to foreign markets, an expanded meeting was held at the Chamber of Industry of Damascus and its Countryside. The meeting was chaired by Eng. Mohammad Ayman al-Mawlawi, Chairman of the Chamber, and Eng. Wafaa Abu Labdeh, Head of the Chemical Sector, in the presence of Dr. Radwan Abdeen, a member of the Chamber's Board of Directors, along with the heads of the chemical sub-committees, to dismantle the chronic problems facing the sector.

The meeting witnessed a discussion regarding the chemical sector's participation in the "Syriex Jeddah" exhibition. Eng. Wafaa Abu Labdeh emphasized the strategic importance of this step, as it represents a strong return to external participation after a long hiatus. This was coupled with emphasizing the role of domestic exhibitions in marketing and establishing the presence of national products, while calling for the organization of specialized exhibitions that attract visitors from outside the country.

During the meeting, the heads of the committees addressed the project to deliver natural gas to factories, praising the positive cooperation with the Ministry of Energy and the studies and plans that have been completed. They stressed that this vital project will radically contribute to reducing production costs and enhancing the national product's capacity to compete in local and global markets.

Regarding the file of standard specifications and sample analysis, industrialists raised the issue of delayed updates for laboratories at the testing center, demanding their development to keep pace with the technical advancement of products. They also called for urgent solutions to the absence of official specifications for a large number of products, such as certain types of paints, which results in unfair violations against factory owners. Additionally, they requested amendments to the specifications for paper tissues to align with international standards, enabling Syrian goods to compete with their imported counterparts.

The meeting also touched upon customs duties, where demands were renewed to reduce tariffs on raw materials for the paint, sanitary paper, and veterinary medicine sectors, while emphasizing the need to raise duties on finished products to protect the local product from import dumping.

In conclusion, Eng. Wafaa Abu Labdeh reviewed the complaints of cosmetics manufacturers regarding the restriction of selling their products exclusively within pharmacies and the issuance of violation reports against them in Tartous and Baniyas. Accordingly, it was decided to address the Ministry of Health and the Directorate of Internal Trade and Consumer Protection to define a list of products permitted for marketing outside pharmaceutical facilities, as is the practice worldwide

 

27/10/2026