Stakeholders meet to ensure food availability in Ramadan

AMMAN — Prime Minister Hani Mulki said on Monday that the government would ensure that stocks of foodstuff would be available and sold at reasonable prices during the fasting month of Ramadan, which starts late May. 

Heading a meeting at the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply to discuss preparations for Ramadan, Mulki highlighted the “significant” role of the civil and military consumer corporations in keeping prices under control, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

The two state-run mega stores offer their beneficiaries (civil servants and army and security personnel) and their families low-priced commodities.  

The Cabinet had earlier decided to keep the prices of goods sold at the two corporations in 2017 without any hikes.

Ramadan is expected to start on May 27 or 28, depending on spotting the crescent moon (hilal) of the new lunar month.

The prime minister instructed the ministry to announce prices, so as to enable citizens to choose what suits them, noting that announcing price lists is important for competition purposes and is in the best interest of consumers.

The private sector offered lower prices during the first four months of the year, when compared to the same period of last year, Mulki noted, highlighting that this drop in prices ensued from the free and fair competition witnessed by the local market.

He added that partnership between the ministry, the private sector and other institutions interested in market monitoring has become a genuine one that aims at serving citizens and presenting the best services and goods, whether local or imported.

Minister of Industry, Trade and Supply Yarub Qudah said that the ministry had been monitoring the prices of 57 food items that include grains, legumes, fruits, red meat and poultry.

The prices of 46 items have dropped and those of seven others have increased, while four items maintained their prices, Qudah noted, stressing the ministry's keenness to stock on strategic amounts of food necessary to cover the Kingdom's needs for safe periods of time.

Representatives of industrial, trade and food sectors expressed their keenness to provide high-quality goods in Ramadan, pledging that the prices of these items will not increase.