The Export Councils (ECs) were established in 97, when the Minister of Supply and Trade issued the ministerial decree no. 521 to create 12 councils (then they were called Commodity Councils).
The commodity councils were created to act as coordination entities representing the stakeholders in each sector, and are composed of the major players in each sector - manufacturers and exporters. Since their establishment in 1997, the number of these councils increased from 12 to 17.
Beginning of 2005, the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) appointed a core group of 10 to 12 leading manufacturers per sector and exporters in addition to MTI representatives to lead and support these sectors. Export Councils are in charge of achieving