No price increase for imported foodstuffs during Ramadan — ACC

AMMAN — Imported foodstuffs, including oil, rice and sugar, will not witness a change in prices during the month of Ramadan, according to Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Chairman Khalil Haj Tawfiq.

Tawfiq told The Jordan Times on Saturday that products that have witnessed price hikes since the beginning of Ramadan are “all locally produced and limited”.

“Locally produced vegetables, fruit and poultry witnessed price hikes during Ramadan due to the increased demand. However, the imported foodstuff did not witness price hikes in Ramadan and there will not be any changes to their prices in the coming weeks,” Tawfiq said.

President of the Jordan Valley Farmers Union Adnan Khaddam told The Jordan Times that tomato and aubergine prices are currently “stabilised” after witnessing a great hike last week.

“The prices have decreased by approximately JD0.25 and will hopefully remain stable for the rest of the month,” he said.

Khaddam also noted that  the National Society of Consumer Protection (NSCP) called on the government to ban vegetable exports during Ramadan to meet the increased demand of the local market.

President of the Jordan Exporters and Producers Association for Fruit and Vegetables Saadi Abu Hammad also emphasised that various vegetables have witnessed a drop in prices compared to last week and pre-Ramadan prices.

“The prices of cucumbers, potatoes, onions and tomatoes dropped due to the increase in the quantities received from the central market, and prices are still expected to decrease more in the upcoming days,” Abu Hammad told The Jordan Times on Saturday.

According to Abu Hammad, the price of cucumbers witnessed a 50 per cent decrease, along with 30 per cent for potatoes and 20 per cent for tomatoes.

“Vegetable prices in general are currently all affordable, except for tomatoes and aubergine, which will witness a drop in price during the upcoming weeks,” he added.