Khaberni - The Minister of Industry, Trade, and Supply, Yarub Al-Qudah, confirmed the kingdom's readiness to meet the local market needs during Ramadan and guarantee price stability and the availability of essential goods in sufficient quantities, within integrated supervisory and operational plans.
Al-Qudah said during a meeting to discuss the Ramadan plan with various relevant entities on Wednesday, that the ministry will continuously follow up with various concerned entities, any difficulties facing the productive and imported sectors, as part of its joint supervisory plan to regulate the market and price rates and availability of goods.
He added that the government has stopped exporting a number of essential goods during the past six months, except with special approvals to ensure the stability of the local market, confirming that the strategic stock is updated daily and exceeds the required limit, making it secure.
He emphasized that the pricing system must be logical, and any global increase may reflect locally, but will not be allowed to exceed normal rates, noting that the Council of Ministers made a decision allowing the civil institution to work outside official hours, to enable it to meet consumer needs, and that its stock enables it to sell at moderate prices even if global prices rise.
In turn, the Ministry's Secretary-General, Dana Al-Zoubi, confirmed that the strategic stock of various food materials is secure, explaining that the prices of goods are followed up and monitored for 90 essential categories.
She noted the presence of a decrease in prices for 10 categories by 11%, against slight increases in some goods such as sunflower oil by 3% due to global increases, and the stability of prices for more than 60 categories, pointing to coordination with all relevant entities to ensure the availability of goods.
She explained that the ministry divided its Ramadan supervisory plan into three axes, before, during and after the holy month, while three daily inspection rounds would be conducted in the morning, evening, and after midnight.
Meanwhile, the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Agriculture, Mohammad Al-Hayyari, explained that the daily need for vegetables and fruits amounts to about 3500 tons, and always more than this quantity is available to meet the local market, confirming that prices are around their general rate, with the possibility of a slight increase in some categories like lemons and garlic during Ramadan.
He indicated that the monthly need for sheep meat is 3000 tons, which increases in Ramadan to about 4000 tons, while the stock covers 5500 tons, and for veal, the monthly need is 3750 tons, which increases in Ramadan to 4600 tons, with a monthly stock of about 6000 tons available.
As for poultry, he said the monthly need amounts to 28,000 tons, which increases to 33,000 tons in Ramadan, while currently about 37,000 tons are available.
For his part, the deputy director of the city for health and agricultural affairs at Amman Municipality, Yasar Al-Khaitan, highlighted that the central market in Amman Municipality receives about 70% of the kingdom's production of vegetables and fruits, confirming that prices are balanced and the quantities are moderate within normal levels.
He referred to the readiness of the infrastructure and shift system, and the positive coordination with various relevant entities, showing that the slaughterhouses are ready and health requirements have been enhanced therein.
Al-Khaitan also drew attention to the low prices of poultry and that the municipality is ready to accept any numbers of live poultry to maintain price stability.
From his side, the President of the Poultry Breeders Union, Fares Hammouda, stated that the poultry sector is subject to supply and demand mechanisms, noting that last year witnessed a success story in providing production without problems.
He also pointed out the availability of large quantities of chicks in farms and no need to stop exporting them and that the decrease in global poultry prices has increased imports, while its decrease locally led to the storage of frozen poultry meats in quantities up to 5,000 tons, all of which meet consumer needs safely.
Hammouda said that consumption patterns in Ramadan differ with an increase in demand by 30–40%, where the monthly consumption in regular months is about 28,000 tons, expecting that the highest price for poultry to the consumer will not exceed 1.85 dinar.
