Consumer society calls for boycotting ‘overpriced’ chicken

AMMAN — The Consumer Protection Society (CPS) on Saturday called on citizens to boycott poultry following the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply’s “shocking” announcement of raising the upper limit for the prices of chicken.

The society said that fresh chicken meat is now set to be sold with an upper limit of JD1.80 per kilogramme although it was usually sold at JD1.30 to JD1.50, while frozen chicken is set to be sold with an upper limit of JD2.30 per kilogramme, rising from JD2.

“Some consumers are already ‘forced’ to boycott, not because they want to, but because they cannot afford to buy chicken considering the current soar in prices,” CPS Spokesperson Sahem Abbadi told The Jordan Times on Sunday.

“The upper limit prices set by the ministry serve above all the interests of stakeholders, with no consideration for the people’s situation,” Abbadi said, adding that “the decision should have been taken in cooperation with the consumer society so as to reach a compromise between all parties”.

The CPS campaign calls for a “complete boycott” of chicken or at least rationing of consumption. “Citizens can be their own master through boycotting, which should result in lower demand and increased supply in order to fight the greediness of poultry vendors and force them to reduce prices,” the spokesperson noted.

Yanal Barmawi, spokesperson of the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply told The Jordan Times: “The ministry has set the upper limit prices as a precautionary measure to avoid unreasonable increase of prices during the holy month.” 

Barmwai stressed that the decision was taken in coordination with the Lower House’s water and agriculture committee, taking into account the costs on producers “who supply the market with a basic and necessary food item”.

For Um Ammar, “not only chicken prices are increasing, but also those of many other food items. We already used to buy two chickens a month only, and now what!” 

She added: “We are transitioning to a vegetarian diet to reduce the costs.”

Abbadi reported receiving complaints that some merchants do not comply with the specified upper limit prices and sell chicken at an increased price.

However, Barmawi stressed that “the ministry is monitoring the market and is following up on the sellers’ prices”, noting that “no violation has been observed so far”.

He urged citizens to report any complaint through the ministry’s hotline or the ministry’s smartphone application so that “necessary action can be taken”.

Director of the Animal Production Directorate at the Food and Agriculture Ministry Hussein Miqdady told The Jordan Times that “consumers have several options with a wide range of prices as the stiff competition in the market encourages marketers to make promotions and special offers”.

“There is no obvious increase in operational costs for producers and most of them are still selling with the same prices, which are way less than the specified upper limit,” he said, adding that “even if they sell at the ministry’s upper limit prices, the costs on consumers are still reasonable”.

Abbadi said the society will proceed with its boycott campaign during the holy month with the hope that “the consumers’ voices will be heard”.