(MENAFN - Jordan Times) The Consumer Protection Society (CPS) on Saturday called on the public to boycott goods that are subject to an "unjustified" hike in prices, particularly imported red meat.
In a statement sent to The Jordan Times, CPS President Mohammad Obeidat accused what he called a minority group of greedy traders of hiking the prices of several commodities and taking advantage of an expected rise in demand in Ramadan to generate higher profit margins at the expense of consumers.
He warned that the society may resort to boycott campaigns similar to those in 2009, when the prices of local and imported red meat rose sharply, calling on concerned authorities to tighten monitoring measures on food prices.
But Samer Jawabreh, president of the Foodstuff Traders Association, challenged Obeidat's charges, noting that current prices of imported fresh red meat reflect actual costs in the country of origin, in addition to other costs related to transportation and fees paid to the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) slaughterhouse the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.
At a press conference yesterday, Jawabreh presented an invoice, dated July 28, from one of the country's largest companies that imports fresh red meat from Australia.
He explained that one tonne of red meat from Australia costs JD5,814, which means that JD5.8 is the price of a kilo, adding that the cost of a kilo after GAM slaughterhouse charges and transportation costs stands at JD6.08, while the final price charged by the importer was JD6.20 per kilo, according to Petra.
These costs and the profit margins generated by traders defy the CPS accusations, Jawabreh said, urging the CPS to be accurate when it comes to information related to foodstuff.
Referring to the availability of food items during Ramadan, he said strategic reserves are enough for over four months, adding that he expects prices to remain stable in the local market despite rises on prices of certain goods in international markets, particularly sugar.
