Jordan News

The head of the Food Traders Syndicate, Khalil Al-Haj Tawfiq, denied the authenticity of the information circulated today, Thursday, that the war in Ukraine led to a rise in the prices of vegetable oils in the local market.

Hajj Tawfiq said in a press statement on Thursday that Jordan does not import foodstuffs from Ukraine, with the exception of one type of vegetable oil and some small quantities of frozen chicken.

He added that vegetable oils are available in large quantities in the local market, and there are alternatives to imports coming from Ukraine, explaining that the union is following up with the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply the course of events, as it will have repercussions on oil prices and global freight charges.

Al-Hajj Tawfiq indicated that the Kingdom has many options for importing vegetable oils, especially the sunflower variety, the majority of which comes from Ukraine, stressing the existence of Arab alternatives from which to import.

The Director General of Sumatra Food Industries, Eng. Ihab Al-Sharfa, confirmed today, Thursday, that the prices of vegetable oils began to rise in Jordan, affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Al-Sharfa said that many food and non-food items will increase their prices in Jordan if the Russian-Ukrainian crisis continues for a long time.

Al-Sharfa pointed out that the Kingdom imports grains, oils and iron from Ukraine, stressing that Jordan imports 80% of sunflower oils from Ukraine and Russia, indicating that this type of oil is considered the most consumed by the citizen.

He explained that the Russian-Ukrainian crisis, since its inception, raised the price of palm and soy oil by 20%, and this rise was reflected in the prices of sunflower and corn oils.

Regarding the impact of the Jordanian citizen, Al-Sharafa pointed out that if the crisis in Russia and Ukraine continues for a long time, prices will rise directly on the citizen in the next two months.