AMMAN — The
price of potatoes jumped to an unprecedented JD1 per kilogram for the first
time in recent memory, raising questions about the reasons for the increased by
disgruntled Jordanians, who argue that the commodity is locally produced and
that its price should remain affordable all year round.
اضافة اعلان
While some
agricultural experts argued that the rise
is caused by a shortage of potatoes in the markets, given that pricing is based
on supply and demand, others claimed that it is the result of manipulation by some
merchants, who control the commodity by reducing its quantity deliberately to
hike its price.
Head of the
Jordan Farmers Association Ibrahim
Al-Sharif told
Jordan News that a frost wave last March, and constant
heat waves last summer damaged crops and killed many produce, ultimately
causing a shortage in the local market.
“These reasons combined led to a decrease in
potatoes, and the available ones were of poor quality,” he said. “That led to a
significant increase in the prices of this specific commodity, especially since
pricing is linked to supply and demand.”
He projected that prices will decrease in the coming
weeks, “especially since farmers in the southern governorates are cultivating
potatoes with utmost care until there are abundant quantities covering the
market needs.”
But Mahmoud Al-Oran, director-general of the Jordan
Farmers Union, said that the price of one kilogram of potatoes reached JD1 in
some areas, “most notably in stores in west Amman.”
“Some merchants control the prices of vegetable and
fruits, including potatoes, and they supply the market with small quantities of
potatoes that are below the market needs, which ultimately contribute to
raising the prices,” Oran told
Jordan News.
“Potatoes stored in refrigerators are of very high
quality and not as bad as some say,” he insisted.
Amid the differing
opinions, and the absence of real reasons for the rise, the consumer remains
the most affected, especially with dilapidated economic conditions and weakness
in purchasing power.
Mohammad Al-Assaf, 30, a public sector employee and
father of three children, told
Jordan News that “some merchants take
advantage of the citizens’ need for some basic and important goods, such as
potatoes and tomatoes, for instance, and they raise their prices insanely from
time to time”.
He added: “I might be able to buy potatoes at the
raised price, but there are people who are disgruntled by the increase, even if
it was just by a few piasters, due to the deterioration of their economic
conditions”.
“The Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Supply and the
Ministry of Agriculture must intensify their control of the market, and set
price ceilings for some basic commodities if necessary, to act as a deterrent
to some traders who control prices”, he concluded.
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