Ammon News -

 Amman Chamber of Trade President Khalil Haj Tawfiq said on Saturday that there was a higher demand on food commodities during the holy month of Ramadan this year than in previous years amid the coronavirus pandemic.

He said in a statement that food sector sales picked up after falling in the first four days of the fasting month as demand rose and restaurants began early on with life returning to normal after two years of pandemic-induced lockdowns.

Tawfiq, who is also head of the Foodstuff Traders Association, said high demand was not associated with a rise in imported foodstuff prices, excluding some locally produced items, such as vegetables, poultry and fresh meats which saw price hikes.

He pointed out that staple food items remained in sufficient supply during Ramadan, adding that 85 per cent of the Kingdom's food needs are imported from abroad, at an estimated value of JD4 billion annually, part of which is raw material for the local industry.

He said all global indicators point that foods prices will continue to rise, which requires caution and boosting the country's strategic food stocks.

He said that medium- and low-income Jordanian families spend 45 per cent of their income on food, and are the most impacted group by high prices, denying that there is monopoly in the local market.

"There is no such thing as monopoly in an open market with strong competition, and high supply against limited demand," Tawfiq explained.