'Crazy' Prices Spoil Jordan Ramadan

[SisterJennifer]

<b>AMMAN</b> — Hefty prices of foodstuffs and other essential products are casting a pall on the Jordanians' joy of Ramadan, leaving many cash-strapped people scrambling to cover expenses during the holy fasting month.


"I have five children and had to borrow money to cope with a sudden jump in food prices during Ramadan," Salem Saeed, a school teacher, told Agence France-Presse (AFP).


"I do not know what I will do when `Eid (the feast marking the end of Ramadan) comes."


Prices of dairy, poultry and other essential products have shot up between seven and 30 percent in Jordan during Ramadan.


This has left many low-and middle-income Jordanians unable to meet the needs of their families during the dawn-to-dusk fasting month.


"Greedy merchants have increased the prices without a mercy," said Saeed.


"I love the holy month, but they have spoiled our joy."


<b>Crazy</b>


Issa Salem, a public servant, blamed both merchants and the government for the "crazy" prices.


"Prices and living expenses have drastically risen because a lot of merchants exploited the high demand on food during Ramadan and the government does not monitor them," Salem said angrily.


But Haidar Murad, who heads the Amman Chamber of Commerce, said that the merchants were not to blame for the soaring prices.


"Honestly, I have to say that prices increased in Ramadan because they have surged internationally, and local merchants should not be blamed for all of this," he said.


The problem has prompted King Abdullah II to ask the government to clamp down on food price rises.


Last week, Prime Minister Maroud Bakhit urged producers to set up "public markets" to sell directly to consumers at wholesale prices to help reduce the soaring prices.


But this never helped meet the people's expectations.


"The high prices have killed us," said grocer Abu Hatem as he talked to an old woman who wanted to buy a small container of yoghurt, whose price has more than doubled in the past 10 days.


"I am afraid that people might stop buying from my shop at all because of such prices," he said.


Prices have already skyrocketed during Ramadan in several Muslim countries including Qatar, Egypt and Tunisia.


In Bangladesh, the government was selling rice at 20 percent reduced prices.

[Muslimah]

Bismillah


Sobhan Allah, like I m reading about Egypt. Yesterday in a radio interview with a journalist, he said, I d rather go without the annual raise the government sets simply because as soon as it is announced, I find that the boutcher, grocery store.. eat it up and even would need more to cover the increases they place. La hawla wala qowata ila billah.

[soulperson]

Salaam to all my brothers and sisters here in this forum.We are very pleased to take part in fasting the holy month of Ramadan and we are healthy and not physically suffering.Our brothers are being killed here and there and everywhere.It is time to remeber them and just put ourselves in their shoesand make Dua for them during our Iftar.They are in dire need of us.Do u guess so??.They don't have high prices but even HIGH KILLINGS on daily basis.So I think it is a scurry trick but the foes to attack us at least finanicilly.