His Majesty King Abdullah II on Tuesday met with representatives of the textile industry at Al Husseiniya Palace and affirmed the importance of the sector in providing employment, enhancing economic growth, and increasing exports.

The meeting was held to follow up on the progress of developing the textile industry in line with the Economic Modernisation Vision.

Discussions covered ways to boost vocational education in order to provide the sector with qualified workers, as well as boost training programmes for workers in the industry and build their capacities.

The textile sector contributes JD756 million to the gross domestic product, and textile products account for 20 per cent of industrial exports, with exports worth JD1.4 billion annually.

The sector employs 89,000 workers, 31 per cent of whom are Jordanians.

Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh and Director of the Office of His Majesty Jafar Hassan attended the meeting.