AMMAN — The
National Consumer Protection Association (NCPA) warned that a continuous rise
in the
price of diesel and kerosene fuel places additional costs and burdens
consumers, especially in winter, when demand rises for fuel used in heating and
transportation.
اضافة اعلان
NCPA President
Mohammed Obeidat said in a statement that Jordanians did not yet feel the
impact of the consecutive and monthly increases in the prices of diesel and
Kerosene, but will during the winter when demand for both fuels rise.
The statement to
Jordan
News said that the higher prices of diesel and kerosene affect mostly
low-income and middle-class Jordanians.
The rise will
impede an accelerated economic growth, and will adversely affect the citizen’s
purchasing power, forcing a further reduction in already stagnated business
activity, according to the statement.
Energy expert
Amer Al-Shobaki told
Jordan News that “diesel and kerosene prices increased
six times in as many weeks, and the prices reached unprecedented levels in the
Kingdom’s history.”
He said that he
expects the rise in the price of the diesel and kerosene to have a significant
impact on higher inflation rates in Jordan, and also result in diminishing the
competitiveness of Jordanian industries.
“The new pricing
poses a real challenge for everyone, for the ability of Jordanians to heat
their homes, as we approach the cold winter season,” he said.
Energy expert
Hashem Akel told
Jordan News that the price of petroleum products is
“determined by the cost of raw materials, oil refining, and tax, in addition to
marketing expenses”.
“Locally, we
follow international pricing,” he said. “This month, prices fell globally, and
were reflected in the situation in Jordan, where the price of gasoline
receded.”
But the price of
diesel and kerosene fuel continued to rise, he pointed out. According to Akel,
“despite the drop in diesel prices globally, the Jordanian government is
increasing it by 35 fils per month.”
He said that the
increased price was due to the “high tax imposed on oil derivatives locally,
which must be reconsidered and revised”.
Riyadh Al-Jayousi,
a 50-year-old father of four, told
Jordan News that his family relies
mainly in winter on kerosene heating “and the constant rise in prices is very
debilitating”.
He insisted that
he cannot use other heating methods, and that he already feels he will not be
able to afford the current fuel prices.
“Repeated
increases in the price of diesel and kerosene affected me,” he said. “Sometimes,
we had to cut down on other expenses to provide warmth at home in winter.”
Um Mohammad, a 40
year old widow with two children, told
Jordan News that “the government
does not take into consideration the consumers’ economic situation, and does
not feel with them.”
“The increase in
the price of basic materials, such as diesel and kerosene, which we hardly can
afford already, is really a bad thing.”
“Economic
conditions are getting worse,” she sighed.
“The needs and
expenses of each family are rising,” she said. “In winter, it is difficult to
see your child shivering, and you cannot afford to heat his room in the cold
nights.”
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