Poultry prices rise as Ramadan approaches

AMMAN — As Ramadan is a few days away, traders and consumers have observed an increase in the prices of poultry products.

“Many traders take the holy month of Ramadan as an opportunity to increase prices of in-demand food, such as chicken,” said Samih Awn, a poultry trader based in Madaba.

The price hikes amounted to around 10 to 15 per cent in many poultry stores, according to Awn.

The price of a whole fresh chicken in some stores ranges between JD2.15-JD2.30. The price of a whole frozen chicken is around JD2.15, or a bit less, he added, noting that the reason for this recurrent “annual event” is because of the high demand, particularly in the last days before the holy month.

However, a significant number of supermarkets and hypermarkets are offering Ramadan discounts on a wide range of commodities, including chicken cuts and frozen chicken products, he said.

The Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply, in a statement made available to The Jordan Times, said that it has intensified its monitoring of markets, and has determined a price ceiling for poultry products.

The ministry said that the retail price of one kilogramme of a whole fresh chicken is set at JD2, and the price of a live chicken is JD1.65.

Mohammed Hussein, a Jordanian working in a chicken chain store, told The Jordan Times on Monday that there is a slight increase in chicken prices, attributing the reason behind the increase to “some sort of exploitation of the quantities supplied in the market.”

Hussein noted that prices now, “whether in the store or on applications” range between JD2.1 and JD2.7 for a whole fresh chicken.