By Omar Obeidat, Jordan Times

AMMAN –– Demand for food commodities during this year’s Ramadan went down sharply when compared to the same month of last year, according to food dealers.

Samer Jawabreh, president of the Foodstuff Traders Association (FTA), told The Jordan Times that demand for food items during Ramadan dropped by 35 per cent to 50 per cent over Ramadan last year, noting that a shopping trend was noticed only during the first week of the holy month.

Jawabreh attributed the drop in demand to the weaker purchasing power of consumers, explaining that food prices in international and local markets have seen a tangible increase in recent months, while incomes of Jordanians remained unchanged.

International food prices rose during the first seven months of 2011, according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation, by 36 per cent to 39 per cent above the levels seen in the same period of 2010, according to Jawabreh.

Mohammad Rababah, a manager at a large supermarket, agreed with Jawabreh, adding that prices of food items during Ramadan of last year were lower than this year.

“The majority of goods, except for certain types of vegetables such as tomatoes and cucumbers were cheaper last year,” he added. READ MORE ON JORDAN TIMES