AMMAN - Shoppers in Amman said Wednesday that they had noticed no significant increase in the prices of food items and other products on the first day of the holy month of Ramadan.
"There is no rise in food items prices whatsoever food items are plentiful at affordable prices," Abdul Rahman Makki said.
Rasheed Rashad agreed, telling The Jordan Times that "during Ramadan prices usually surge, but so far, there has been no noticeable increase in prices".
Rashad noted, however, that "in the past two days prior to Ramadan, there was an increase in the prices of some food items," blaming what he called "irresponsible acts by some greedy dealers".
"It is still too early to predict whether prices will increase or remain affordable during the entire holy month," Khalil Dahman said, adding however that "for now, I feel comfortable regarding food prices."
"We hope that the authorities maintain strict monitoring over food markets to prevent greedy traders from manipulating food prices," he added.
In fact, prices of food items and other products "are more likely to drop than to hike during Ramadan," President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Riyad Saifi told The Jordan Times over the phone.
"There is no current increase in prices of food items and other products in the local markets," Saifi said, adding that instead, "prices went down".
When asked about a rise in the prices of some vegetables including cucumbers, Saifi added that "the heatwave that affected the Kingdom previously caused great damage to some vegetable farms and cucumber farms received the most damage".
Consumer Protection Society (CPS) President Mohammad Obeidat told The Jordan Times that "prices of basic food items such as red meat, rice and sugar will be stable during Ramadan," adding that "the government's recent decision to set a price ceiling for food items will contribute to keeping prices within affordable ranges".
The Cabinet on Tuesday authorised Minister of Industry and Trade Amer Hadidi to set a price ceiling for food and other products whose prices tend to rise during Ramadan.
"There is some imbalance in the prices of some vegetables but this will be solved very soon," Obeidat added, noting that "the government suspended the export of some types of vegetables, including cucumbers, to ensure their availability at affordable prices".
Obeidat urged people to "look for cheaper alternatives if the prices of some food items remain high within the coming days".
Prime Minister Samir Rifai on Wednesday instructed the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) to stop receiving fees on all vegetables imported to the Amman Central Market for Fruits and Vegetables during Ramadan as one of the measures to curb any possible hikes in prices of food items, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.
Hadidi and Minister of Agriculture Mazen Khasawneh on Wednesday inspected the Amman Central Market to check on the availability and prices of food items during Ramadan. During the tour, the two ministers, accompanied by Amman Mayor Omar Maani, stressed the government's commitment to maintain market stability during the holy month and to ensure that food items are available in local markets at affordable prices.
© Jordan Times 2010
