Khaberni - Assistant Secretary-General of the Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Supply, Qusai Bani Mustafa said that Jordan, like other countries around the world, was affected by international disruptions that reflected on the prices of basic commodities, noting that the increase in shipping and transportation costs played a direct role in increasing the prices of some imported materials.
In statements to "Al-Mamlaka" channel on Tuesday evening, Bani Mustafa added, "The world has become like one village, and any disturbances in any region reflect directly or indirectly on various countries," confirming that Jordan is not isolated from these effects, especially regarding the rise in maritime transportation costs.
He explained that these developments resulted in pushing the prices of some commodities towards an increase, however, the measures taken by the government contributed to maintaining market stability and keeping prices within normal rates.
He indicated that some commodities experienced a noticeable increase during the past period, especially meats and oils, describing them as being the most sensitive to global changes.
Regarding oils, he pointed out that the signs of price increases started since the end of last year, due to events in Ukraine that included targeting oil storage facilities, before the increases exacerbated with escalating regional tensions and rising shipping fees and production input costs, including plastic materials used in packaging.
As for meats, he clarified that the price hikes are due to increases in the country of origin, resulting from rising feed prices, transportation costs, and fuels, which reflected on the final consumer price.
He mentioned that disruptions in air travel in the region, especially in the Gulf, led to a decrease in the quantities of some types of air-imported meats, contributing to a reduction in supply and raising prices.
Bani Mustafa affirmed that all these external factors contributed to putting pressure on the prices of some goods, however, the local market remains within stable levels thanks to government measures.
