AMMAN — Citizens have
recently launched a campaign on social media calling for a boycott of chicken
across the
Kingdom. The boycott comes after poultry prices rose to JD3 per kilo
during the holy month of Ramadan, according to one store owner.
اضافة اعلان
“Do not wait for the prices
to go down, boycott and be the decision maker,” the campaign urges. Citizens
are calling for consumers to boycott chicken for several days until prices
drop, claiming that current prices are unjustifiable and are intended to
exploit citizens during Ramadan.
Different parties
interviewed by
Jordan News pointed the blame at each other, deflecting
responsibility for the rise in prices.
One politician blamed
the price hike on local chicken distributors. “The price of imported frozen
chicken did not rise, but the local fresh chicken prices did. Therefore,
merchants have nothing to do with this price hike,” said Khalil Haj Tawfiq,
chairman of the Chamber of Commerce.
“A hike in chicken
prices is a common practice we face every year. Distributors claim that the
hike is due to increased demand, but this year the demand significantly
decreased,” he added. Sellers are “not committing to the price cap; the
government needs to take measures.”
The National Societyof Consumer Protection (NSCP) supported the boycott and urged the Ministry of
Agriculture to step in and allow the importation of chicken during Ramadan. The
NSCP believes that merchants are monopolizing poultry prices, and are not
committing to the price caps set by the Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Supply.
“We support any
poultry boycott campaigns adopted by citizens,” Mohammad Obaidat, chairman of
NSCP, told
Jordan News. “This price hike is unjustifiable.”
“Stores, groceries,
supermarkets, and malls are not committing to the price cap imposed by the ministry.
We received hundreds of calls over the past week complaining about the high
selling price,” Obaidat added. In an official statement, the Ministry of
Industry, Trade, and Supply set caps of JD2 per kilo of fresh chicken, JD1.7
per kilo of frozen chicken, and JD1.4 per kilo of live chicken, to help control
price hikes.
Obaidat also stressed
that the government needs to counter and prevent monopolies by importing
chicken and other commodities that are sold at unfair prices and tightening all
legal measures.
Grocery shop owners
claimed that the hike is mainly due to a shortage in poultry numbers and
farmers raising the prices of chicken.
Khalid Hnefat stated
that an agreement with stakeholders was reached to distribute poultry within a
week according to new prices per kilo as follows; JD1.8 for fresh chicken,
JD1.65 live chicken, and JD1.5 for frozen chicken.
The minister stated
that this agreement will regulate the supply and prices during the next few
days.
The meeting was
attended by the heads of the Farmers Union, the Jordanian Poultry Producers
Association, the Poultry and Fodder Association, Poultry companies, and
representatives of small poultry farmers.
A store owner in
Amman, Haney Sa’adeh, said that he sold fresh chickens at his store yesterday
at the price of JD1.7 per kilo. He said that he is being “considerate” by
foregoing profit.
“I know people are
financially struggling in Ramadan,” he said. “That’s why I sold my chickens at
zero profit, the same price at which I bought it from distributors. People are
blaming us for the hike when it’s the farmers’ fault.”
Consumers expressed
anger and frustration with the unjustified price hike.
“First they raised oil
prices, and now chicken? These items are highly demanded, particularly during
Ramadan, they must be sold at reasonable rates,” said Ghazi Al-Talafeeh. We
have families to feed.”
Likewise, Ahmad
Khaliah said, “The government should really take measures. Traders in Jordan
are violating consumers! This is insane, I bet they’ll use the pandemic as an
excuse.”
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