Demand for food commodities increased 30% on Tuesday — merchant association

AMMAN — Demand for food commodities and other basic supplies increased by 30 per cent on Tuesday due to inclement weather conditions, according to the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan.

Despite the rise in demand as a result of extreme weather conditions, the turnout has decreased compared with the same period of previous years, said Head of the General Association for Foodstuffs Merchants of Jordan Khalil Haj Tawfiq.

“The deteriorating economic conditions, as well as the declining purchasing power are among the reasons why the turnout was only one day long,” Haj Tawfiq, who is also president of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC), said.

Most citizens ran out of money in the middle of the month and no official holiday was announced, therefore citizens did not stock up, he said.

“From the beginning of this year, it was obvious that the situation would be even more challenging, as there is an economic depression,” he noted.

Um Ramzi, a Jordanian citizen, told The Jordan Times over the phone on Wednesday, that the economic fallout of the pandemic has changed the way she shops.

“Now I avoid shopping in big stores or hypermarkets, in order to spend less money,” she said.

Baraa Ahmad, a Jordanian citizen, said that on Tuesday she only bought bread and some basic items she needed for lunch the next day.