Amman, January 23 (Petra) – Minister of Industry, Trade and Supply Eng. Yarub Qudah emphasized the strong emphasis placed by His Majesty King Abdullah II and government institutions on ensuring food security and supporting strategic stockpiles. This involves facilitating import operations and addressing any challenges faced by industry stakeholders.

During a meeting convened by the General Syndicate of Foodstuff Traders on Thursday, Qudah stressed the importance of maintaining price stability and providing high-quality goods. He highlighted the crucial role of importers and traders in the food sector in safeguarding the Kingdom's food security by maintaining adequate strategic stockpiles of essential food and basic commodities.

The minister emphasized the ministry's commitment to providing all necessary support and facilitating the work of traders within the sector to ensure the availability of essential commodities and food at reasonable prices, meeting the needs of citizens throughout the year, particularly during the holy month of Ramadan.

He stressed the critical importance of coordinated efforts between the government, the syndicate, traders, and importers to address all challenges facing the sector, ensuring market stability during Ramadan and preventing any shortages of essential food items that are in high demand during this period.

During the meeting, held at the Amman Chamber of Commerce headquarters, Qudah underscored the need for proactive measures to ensure the provision of products in sufficient quantities while simultaneously enhancing the strategic stockpiles of essential materials.

"The challenges faced by Jordan have been significant, but thanks to the collaborative efforts of the commercial and service sectors, particularly the food sector, we have successfully overcome numerous difficulties," stated Qudah. He emphasized that the Kingdom enters the holy month of Ramadan with robust coordination to ensure the availability of essential commodities at appropriate quantities and prices.

"We are committed to ensuring the availability of all necessary goods, including essential Ramadan products," he added, noting that relevant authorities are closely monitoring the markets to ensure price stability and the uninterrupted availability of all goods, especially food.

He stressed that the outcomes and recommendations of the meeting will be included on the agenda of the Prime Minister's meeting with various sectors, emphasizing the importance of maintaining safe strategic stockpiles of various basic commodities and food products.

Referring to the directives of Prime Minister Jafar Hassan during a meeting organized by the Jordan Chamber of Commerce for representatives of the commercial sector last week, Qudah emphasized the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply's mandate to hold a monthly meeting with ministers, concerned institutions, and stakeholders.

These meetings will focus on developing a clear and specific joint agenda, collaborating to find solutions, and building upon existing initiatives to serve the national economy. He stressed that preparations are currently underway to convene the first such meeting in the coming days.

Regarding the decision to grant re-export permits, the minister emphasized a flexible approach that ensures inventory levels remain within safe limits. He also highlighted measures taken to facilitate the flow of trade movement between Jordan and Syria.

For his part, Khalil Haj Tawfiq, Head of the Foodstuff Traders Syndicate, reviewed the efforts and work undertaken by the syndicate, food traders, and importers to maintain safe strategic stockpiles of basic commodities and food products from diverse sources.

He stressed the importance of ongoing coordination and consultation between the ministry and the syndicate on all matters of mutual interest, noting that the ministry serves as an umbrella for the commercial sector and plays a vital role in resolving the issues of traders and importers. He expressed his appreciation for the ministry's strong cooperation in addressing the concerns of the food sector, recognizing it as a fundamental economic sector in achieving food security.

Hajj Tawfiq also emphasized that traders and importers within the sector are consistently dedicated to providing citizens with a diverse range of food supplies, encompassing various types of the same commodity from different origins, all at reasonable prices, thereby enhancing consumer choice.

During the meeting, numerous procedural and administrative matters of interest to food traders and importers were raised to address any potential obstacles to their work.

//Petra// AJ

23/01/2025 17:45:56