AMMAN — The government must set price ceilings for
various products, including foodstuffs, said the head of the National Society
for Consumer Protection, Muhammad Obeidat, noting various consumer complaints.
اضافة اعلان
Price ceilings aim to help adjust local prices in
the local market according to global trends, he added.
Obeidat explained that the prices of oil derivatives
decreased by 20 percent globally, yet they remained high locally.
Another example he added was dairy products. He
cited the Food and Agriculture Organization, which said that dairy products
decreased globally. “But they continued to rise in Jordan,” he said.
“Meat prices also decreased globally, but in the
local market, the price ceiling remains high and does not commensurate with the
purchasing power of the Jordanian consumer,” Obeidat told
Jordan News.
He said the drop in prices internationally “should
be reflected in the prices of goods locally so that citizens can benefit”.
Obeidat claimed the price difference was due to a
lack of specialized studies by concerned authorities, adding that a committee
of stakeholders must be formed to study the prices of foodstuffs and “set price
ceilings”.
He noted that price variation “is healthy ...
provided that the prices are within the range of international prices”.
Yanal Al-Barmawi, the spokesman The Ministry of
Industry, Trade, and Supply, said that there are no price changes in the local
market. He insisted that the ministry is carrying out “intensive market control
campaigns” to ensure that prices remain stable and affordable.
Barmawi said the
ministry has taken “several measures” to control prices, including setting a
price ceiling for goods such as poultry, vegetables, and vegetable oil.
He explained that the ministry sets prices when it
finds increases “unjustified or exaggerated”.
Ali Naji, a local, said he buys household supplies
every week. “I noticed that the prices of all products are continuing to rise.”
“Merchants are also deceiving us through the weight
and quality of the product,” he said.
Trader Jaber Ismail said that consumers “notice the
difference in the weight of the product, and the increased price.”
“This led to a reduced demand for products, as
people are searching for cheaper alternatives,” he said.
He maintained that a merchant’s loss is compounded: One
caused by the reduced demand, and the other for buying products in the bulk to
cover possible losses from the fluctuating prices.
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