The Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply on Wednesday said that sufficient quantities of chicken are available in the local markets.

By arrangement with key chicken producers, the Trade Ministry increased the quantities of chicken in the local markets, in order to compensate for the shortfalls that occurred a day before Ramadan started, according to a ministry statement sent to The Jordan Times on Wednesday.

"The Trade Ministry held intensive meetings with chicken producers during the last few days, to reaffirm the importance of stabilising the quantities of chicken in the local market and adhering to the price ceiling of fresh and live chicken,” the statement said.

The ministry earlier set a price ceiling for chicken. The retail price of one kilogramme of fresh chicken was set at JD2 and for live chicken at JD1.65, the ministry said, adding that the supervision of markets is ongoing.

Mohammad Hussein, an employee in a chicken chain store, assured The Jordan Times of reasonable and uniform pricing of chicken in their store branches across the Kingdom.

Hussein said that "the price of a whole chicken is JD2 per kilogramme and the price of chicken cuts is JD2.15 per kilogramme”.

During the fasting month, there is always an increase in demand for meat and poultry products, especially during the few days leading to the month as well as the several first days of it. As a result, some merchants raise prices, Waleed Ali, a grocery store owner told The Jordan Times on Wednesday.

"I keep prices in my store constant despite increased demand,” Ali said noting raising prices and taking advantage of people’s needs is unethical.

"Unfortunately, unjustified price increase of certain products has become an annual ritual of some merchants during the fasting month,” Ali said.

Agriculture Minister Khaled Hneifat said in a statement that if chicken prices continue to go up, the ministry will start importing chicken.