Prime Minister, Bisher Khasawneh, on Monday visited the northern governorates of Mafraq and Jerash, as part of his field visits to the Kingdom’s governorates that aim to check on citizens needs and improve their livelihood.
Accompanied by a ministerial team, Khasawneh held two separate meetings with a number of leading figures and representatives from both governorates, and voiced the government’s commitment to provide the best services to citizens in all areas of the Kingdom and to find solutions to challenges and problems they face, pointing out that improving the living conditions of the Jordanian citizen is the King’s top priority.
The Prime Minister said that the Covid-19 pandemic was added to a number of challenges that Jordan already faces over the past decade as a result of regional crises.
He pointed out that the current crisis between Russia and Ukraine has impacted the supply chains for basic commodities, especially wheat, barley and vegetable oils, as it led to a steady and rapid rise in oil prices.
Khasawneh added that prices of oil derivatives were kept unchanged in the past two months and in this month and the next month, taking into account the living conditions of citizens during the holy month of Ramadan, before gradually returning to reflect international prices on the prices of oil derivatives.
He pointed out that the amount of money the treasury has lost as a result of keeping prices of oil derivatives unchanged in March and April amounted to about JD80 million, and about JD52 million in the previous two months, stressing that these government interventions were not governed by profit and loss factors.
He underlined that prices of basic commodities in Jordan are low compared to neighboring countries due to the strategic view and the wisdom of His Majesty the King, which included establishing years ago containers to store wheat and barley, which spared Jordan such repercussions.
The Prime Minister stressed that, thanks to the wisdom of His Majesty King Abdullah and his continuous follow-up on providing and storing basic commodities, Jordan has maintained safe levels of foodstuff to deal with the repercussions of the Russian-Ukrainian crisis.
The Premier directed Ministers of Industry, Trade and Supply and Interior, to tighten control over markets and not to tolerate any increasing prices that would impact the citizen’s livelihood.
SOURCE: JORDAN NEWS AGENCY