Food sector urges public calm, given ‘safe and comfortable stock’ of commodities

AMMAN — With coronavirus fears on the rise, the Foodstuff Traders Association (FTA) on Saturday called on the public to stop rushing to grocery stores to stock up on food commodities, assuring the public that food is available in large quantities. 

Photos recently circulated on social media sites have shown floods of people crowding major shopping centres to stock up on supplies and foodstuffs.

However, Head of the FTA Khalil Tawfiq stressed in a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, that the Kingdom enjoys a “safe and comfortable stock” of various commodities and food items, highlighting the large quantities stored in the warehouses of importers, wholesalers and retailers, especially those of hypermarkets and major commercial centres.

On the heels of recent government decisions introducing new preventive measures against the novel coronavirus, the FTA has reported an increased demand for food commodities, notably in major commercial centres, as fear over the spread of the virus grows, he said.

Assuring the public that there is "no need to panic" about food supply, Tawfiq also affirmed that the association increases the amount of food imports ahead of Ramadan, Petra reported. 

Minister of Industry, Trade and Supply Tareq Hammouri also affirmed recently that Jordan has a sufficient reserve of food, stressing that the Kingdom's supply of wheat and barley is enough to cover local consumption for about 12 months and adding that the quantity of commodities varies from one item to another, while the reserves of "all commodities" are adequate for several months.

Director General of the Civil Service Consumer Corporation Salman Qudah has also confirmed the availability of stockpiles of various food commodities at the corporation’s warehouses, with enough supply to meet the public's needs for three to five months.