Hike in poultry prices sparks boycott calls

AMMAN — The soaring prices of poultry in the Kingdom in the past few days has led to boycott campaigns by citizens in hopes of witnessing a drop in prices.

The National Society of Consumer Protection (NSCP) has called on the Ministry of Agriculture to allow the import of chicken only during the holy month of Ramadan.

The call was made due to the noticeable rise in poultry prices and failure to conform to the price caps set by the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply to break the monopoly practised by some merchants, and to fill the shortage of manufactured quantities, according to the NSCP.

“During the past week, we received hundreds of complaints from all governorates regarding the high selling price of chicken of all kinds due to the lack of commitment of shops, groceries, supermarkets and malls with the price cap set by the ministry,” Mohammad Obeidat, head of the NSCP, said in a statement sent to The Jordan Times on Saturday.

According to Obeidat, merchants are taking advantage of people’s need and selling it at exorbitant rates that surpassed the price caps, reaching JD3 per kilogramme, suggesting that this was due to a lack of regulation by the relevant authorities.

He called on the government, represented by the ministries of Industry, Trade, Supply and Agriculture, “to intervene and confront “monopolist attempts” by some merchants. 

Ali Al Halabi, a Jordanian citizen, expressed his shock over the rise in poultry prices.

“Chicken is one of the most basic items that people need, especially during the holy month of Ramadan. It must be sold at prices that are fair and commensurate with the purchasing power of citizens who are already suffering from exceptional and difficult economic conditions,” Halabi told The Jordan times.

Other Jordanians took the matter to social media. A campaign titled “Do not wait for the prices to go down, boycott and be the decision maker” is trending on online platforms.

“At this time, the high prices of chicken and other food products are direct proof of exploitation and unfairness as a result of merchants’ behaviour. We must instantly boycott chicken until the prices are dropped back to where they were before, or it spoils, and it spoils easily,” social media user Khalid Suheimat said in a Facebook post in Arabic.

“The citizens are affected due to the absence of oversight and control from the ministry. Chicken products should be boycotted until the price drops to what it was before Ramadan,” said a Twitter user named Neena.