Trade Ministry announces end of price ceiling on chicken

AMMAN — The Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply on Monday announced the cancellation of the price ceiling on chicken.

“The removal of the price ceiling on chicken was decided due to the clear drop in prices of fresh and live chicken,” Trade Ministry Spokesperson Yanal Barmawi told The Jordan Times over the phone. Barmawi affirmed that the ministry continuously keeps track of market prices of chicken.

According to President of Poultry Investors Association Abdel Shakour Jamjoum, price ceilings are set to stabilise the supply of poultry products. 

“Now, there are sufficient quantities of chicken in the local market, and the prices are stable,” he told The Jordan Times.

The decision brought a swift reaction from many sector representatives. 

Ahmad Al Khatib, the owner of a poultry shop, said that the ministry usually enacts the minimums and maximums on the prices of in-demand and essential products when there is a clear increase in demand, during which many retailers raise their prices.

“Poultry consumption sees spikes during Ramadan and the holidays. Now, the prices are reasonable and some places even sell chicken at cheap prices, offering different discounts on their poultry products,” Khatib told The Jordan Times.

Mohammad Hussein, an employee of a chicken chain store, told The Jordan Times on Monday that “the price of a whole fresh chicken in our stores is JD2, while frozen chicken is JD1.6 and the prices of chicken cuts range between JD1.25-JD1.6”.

A statement from the ministry sent to The Jordan Times said that a kilogramme of fresh chicken is now being sold for less than JD2 in some markets, while live chicken is sold for less than JD1.65 per kilogramme, meaning that “there is no need for a price ceiling.”