The Minister of Industry, Trade, and Supply, Eng. Yarub Qudah, emphasized the government's commitment to taking all effective and swift measures to curb the rising prices of global basic commodities, foremost of which is meat. This aims to achieve a balance between sustainable supply and consumer protection.
اضافة اعلان
This statement came during a meeting held today by Minister Qudah, in the presence of the Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Saeb Khraisat, and the Chairman of the Jordan Chamber of Commerce, Senator Khalil El-Haj Tawfiq. The meeting included companies importing fresh and frozen meat to discuss the reasons behind the rise in imported meat prices and ways to mitigate the impact of global price hikes, given the ongoing supply chain disruptions and high global demand.
Qudah stated that the Ministry, in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture and in partnership with the private sector, will work to address most of the causes that led to the rise in imported meat prices within available resources. This will contribute to the sustainability of supply chains and increase the quantities arriving in the Kingdom, particularly to the Greater Amman Municipality slaughterhouse, following a recent decline in supplied quantities.
He noted that various measures would be studied to support the continuity of imports and curb price increases, which will reflect positively on the local market to the greatest extent possible. He affirmed that the Ministry would intensify market monitoring in the coming period to ensure there are no monopolistic practices or unjustified price gouging.
Qudah stressed the importance of partnership with the private sector to maintain market stability and provide goods in appropriate quantities and at reasonable prices.
For his part, the Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Saeb Khraisat, confirmed the Ministry’s readiness to facilitate the opening of new import markets and ease procedures that limit increased import volumes, in collaboration with the private sector. He pointed out that since the start of the crisis, the Ministry has been working to facilitate import operations and bolster available quantities to curb price hikes.
He added that the Ministry would continue to support efforts aimed at strengthening the strategic food reserve of meat by diversifying import sources and monitoring the readiness of supply chains to ensure the uninterrupted availability of this commodity in the local market.
In turn, the Chairman of the Jordan Chamber of Commerce and President of the Food Merchants Association, Senator Khalil El-Haj Tawfiq, said there are genuine reasons behind the rise in imported meat prices, most notably higher shipping costs and increased global demand, in addition to the suspension of several airline routes that previously contributed to transporting meat quantities.
He added that the Association would launch an initiative to urge malls and hypermarkets to sell meat at cost price during the current period until the crisis subsides, in order to alleviate the burden on citizens.
On their part, importers and companies importing fresh and frozen meat presented the reasons that led to the price increases, asserting that there are no monopolistic practices or refusals to supply. They indicated that during the coming week, they would work to double imported quantities and turn to new markets that are more cost-effective in terms of both prices and shipping fees.
