AMMAN — The
head of the Poultry and Feed Investors Association, Abed Shakkour Jamjoum, said
that “there is a crazy increase in feed prices”, due to the
Russia-Ukraine crisis, which “has a clear impact on the prices of animal products”.
اضافة اعلان
He told
Jordan
News that “there is a significant increase in the prices of soy and corn,
which constitute about 90 percent of the feed mixture,” adding that no
“breakthrough could be expected any time soon,” and warning that “a food crisis
may occur if the situation remains as it is now”.
If the
government decides to resort to importing poultry, he said, “this step will not
solve the problem, but will compound it as prices will be about double”.
According to
Jamjoum, “the government should develop long-term plans and strategies, knowing
that there is not enough stock of fodder in the Kingdom, adding that the
problem will only last longer if “we do not resort to cultivating fodder to
become self-sufficient”.
“To connect the
dots and come up with plans and solutions that serve the country and citizens,
it is important to hold a group session between representatives of the public
and private sectors,” he suggested.
Head of a cattle
feed cooperative
Laith Al-Hajj told
Jordan News that the cattle sector
consumes about 90 percent of the feed from abroad, and since the prices of feed
are linked to the political and economic situation, since the beginning of the
Russian-Ukrainian crisis prices have risen by about 45–55 percent.
As such, the
fear now is not just the increase in prices, but the possible lack of feed, he
said.
“These animals
want to eat their feed on time, they do not care about crises or epidemics,” he
said, adding that the prices of the end products will greatly affect the
consumer.
“Lack of feed
will leave a real impact, especially since some 93 countries have already
started raising the prices of milk and cheese,” he elaborated.
Hajj said that the fodder crisis is “present and
real, and what the government should do, for the time being, is to intervene
quickly and come up with a good strategy to create a strategic stock of fodder,
in partnership with the private sector.”
Member of the
Board of Directors of
Jordanian Poultry Producers Association Hassan Bu Diqer
told
Jordan News that “feed prices are currently stable”, adding that
prices have increased since the beginning of the year by about 40–50 percent.
Trying to
reassure farmers, he said that during this period, “we are seeing a slight
increase in prices, not as significant as it was in the past months”.
He said that the
situation is expected to improve in the coming days, indicating that the
poultry sector asked the government to re-evaluate prices based on the prices
of production inputs, which have gone up.
“I believe that
the government will feel with us and things will be better.”
Chairman of the
Senate
Agriculture and Water Committee Akef Al-Zo’ubi told
Jordan News that the committee is concerned and interested in discussing the demands of
representatives of the cattle and poultry associations to reach conclusions and
come up with recommendations that fall within the legislative and procedural
frameworks. He also said that the committee is acting as a link between
associations and the government, and working to develop appropriate solutions
to the problems facing this important sector.
He stressed
“that smallholdings and middle-size farms are the most affected by the high
prices of feed, and protecting them is our duty”.
Zo’ubi pointed
out that farmers are going through difficult conditions, “especially that
production has decreased by a large percentage due to the farmers’ inability to
produce, in addition to the occurrence of frost and the sudden significant rise
in temperatures, which damaged many crops”.
According to
Zo’ubi, at Thursday’s meeting of the Senate Agriculture and Water Committee
with representatives of the cow and poultry associations, farmers stressed the
need for the government to intervene through an entity capable of controlling
the prices of feed in the
local market to support the sector.
“The government
responded to their demand, and there will be a specific committee to set prices
after the end of the
holy month of Ramadan,” he said, adding that “the
committee will meet soon with the minister of industry, trade and supply and
the minister of agriculture in order to develop long-term plans to protect this
sector.”
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