Wheat, barley, bran to be kept stocked at full capacity under Supply Ministry emergency plan

AMMAN — The Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply on Tuesday activated its Emergency Plan for 2020, urging all of its directors in all governorates around the Kingdom to store wheat, barley and bran in their main affiliated mills at full capacity.

Minister of Industry, Trade and Supply Tareq Hammouri called on the staff at the ministry’s supply directorate and main grain centres to work on Fridays and Saturdays to stock up when necessary and to form alternative emergency committees ready to distribute the grain, according to a ministry statement.

Hammouri also urged owners of bakeries to stock sufficient amounts of flour.

The ministry said that the plan is a precaution activated as necessary, and that it has been activated before, noting that the barley storage in the Kingdom is enough for 14 months, and that tenders to import more quantities are floated continuously.

The supply of commodities exists in enough quantities in the market and prices are stable, the ministry statement added.

Also on Tuesday, Prime Minister Omar Razzaz, accompanied by Hammouri, carried out a visit to the silos in the Sahab area, where he reiterated that the Kingdom’s strategic storage of commodities and necessities is “sufficient and reassuring”.

Normally, bakeries stock up on a weekly basis, but under the emergency plan, they replenish their stock until it is full every day, Bakery Owners Association President Abdul Ilah Hamawi told The Jordan Times over the phone.

In light of the quarantines and sterilisation being carried out in certain areas, this decision ensures that all mills have enough supply for each day by confirming at the end of each day that the supply for the next day is available, Hamawi said, adding that there are 18 mills around the Kingdom with sufficient supply.

“Under Royal directives, the supply available should always be enough for no less than a year,” the association president said, noting that stocking is a “continuous process”, as the supply is to be kept sufficient for a whole year at all times.

Hamawi said citizens “should feel safe and reassured”, as bakeries are operating at the usual rate round-the-clock.

He also called on the public to buy only as much as they need, noting that storing more than necessary will “only cause the excess amounts to expire”.