Gas cylinder prices expected to drop in January — lawmaker

AMMAN — The price of cooking gas, also used for heating in winter, is set to see a drop at the beginning of next month, head of the Lower House’s Energy and Mineral Resources Committee Jamal Gammoh confirmed Tuesday. 

The government’s pricing committee is scheduled to update the prices of oil derivatives for next month on December 31, a procedure taken on a monthly basis after authorities lifted fuel subsidies in November 2012. 

As global crude oil prices continue to fall, industry insiders expect fuel prices in the domestic market to drop by nearly 10 per cent. 

Gammoh, who is an observing member on the pricing panel, told The Jordan Times over the phone that it is still unclear how much the drop in cooking gas prices will be with still one week until the end of the month. 

But when asked if the price could drop by 10 per cent, the lawmaker did not dismiss the possibility.

Currently, the 12-kilogramme gas cylinder is sold at JD10. This price has remained stable for over two years since the lifting of fuel subsidies as the government kept the price supported. 

On Tuesday, the Consumer Protection Society (CPS) called on the government to lower the price of cooking gas, saying it is “absurd” to keep talking about subsidising the price of the product while global crude oil prices are going down sharply. 

CPS President Mohammad Obeidat also urged the government to reduce fuel prices in the local market in a transparent way that reflects the real decline globally. 

“Consumers have been burdened and it is important that the government reduce the load on households,” Obeidat said in a statement e-mailed to The Jordan Times.