Ajloun

- With the onset of the winter season, Mustafa al-Momani, in his fifties, begins to suffer in securing his family's need for oil derivatives, especially kerosene used for heating. His suffering increases with the high prices of oil derivatives to levels he cannot secure, he said.

Al-Momani is waiting - according to his speech to Al-Jazeera Net - a voluntary initiative to provide him with a gallon of kerosene, which gives his children some warmth, and he adds, "We depend on kerosene, firewood and peat for heating in the harsh winter in the Ajloun Mountains, and unfortunately with the high prices of kerosene we no longer have a way to buy it, so we depend on what We receive it from donations, or on firewood collected by children, or pieces of olive dried."

And "Jeft" is the remains of olive fruits after pressing them, and they are dried and used in wood stoves for heating in rural areas to reduce the bill for oil derivatives and electricity.

Al-Moumni shares the same concern, the widow Umm Tariq Al-Wahadna (52 years old), who works in the agricultural sector. She tells Al-Jazeera Net that the winter season is heavy for poor families, as diseases increase, the demand for medicines and heating increases, and work in the agricultural sector declines, and with high kerosene prices, we resort to firewood to protect from the cold.

With the onset of winter, the spending of Jordanian families in what is known as "winter economies" increases, especially securing the families' need for heating, facing winter diseases, transportation costs, transportation, and food. Jordanian families' expenses during the winter season rise by about 20% compared to the rest of the months, according to economists.


Warmth is given to food

However, the wait for Moumni and Wahadna will not be long, as charities and voluntary initiatives provide a package of assistance, including gas and kerosene materials used for heating, and charities are now providing oil derivatives in addition to food aid during the winter season, according to association managers.

With the advent of the first depressions of winter, the founder of the "Nesma Khair" initiative, Mahmoud Al-Anabi, carries a bundle of gallons, heading to the nearest fuel station to fill and distribute it to chaste families. About 250 volunteers participate in the initiative, transporting gallons of kerosene and gas cylinders to those in need.

During a tour of Al-Jazeera Net with the volunteers of the initiative in one of the regions of Ajloun Governorate in northern Jordan, Al-Annabi said that the high prices of oil derivatives, especially kerosene, have become a burden on chaste families, which has led to an increase in the resort of those families to voluntary initiatives and charitable bodies significantly from previous years to support them in securing Kerosene and gas for the winter.

Increasing families requesting fuel

As part of its voluntary projects, the "Nesma Khair" initiative provides aid to more than a thousand families per month, so that families receive a gallon of kerosene (10-20 liters) for each family, according to the number of its members and their financial income, at a rate of twice a month, according to Al-Anabi. Distributions are concentrated in the depressions, until Chaste families now prefer oil derivatives to food parcels, he said.

Al-Annabi adds to Al-Jazeera Net that the rise in fuel prices negatively affected the volume of aid distributed during this year, as a 10-liter gallon of kerosene was filled last year at a cost of 6.1 dinars ($8.5), but this year the cost has become 8.6 dinars ($12). An increase of about 2.5 dinars ($3.5) per gallon, which negatively affects the number of beneficiary families and the volume of donations.

In order to face the high prices of kerosene, the initiative decided to take another alternative by adding gas during distributions, especially in light of many chaste families resorting to gas as a less expensive alternative to kerosene.

60% decline in demand for kerosene

The demand for kerosene declined during the past month, with the onset of the winter season, by about 60% compared to the same month last year, according to data from the Gas Station Owners Syndicate. On the other hand, the demand for gas cylinders increased to more than 300,000 cylinders per month since the beginning of the winter season due to families resorting to gas heating. For its low price compared to kerosene.

The price of a liter of kerosene, according to the pricing of oil derivatives for the current month, is 86 piasters (1.2 dollars), at 17.20 dinars (24.2 dollars) for a 20-liter can, while the price of a liter of kerosene during the same month last year was 61.5 piasters (85 cents) and the price of A 20-liter canister costs 12.30 dinars ($17.3), which indicates an increase of about 5 dinars ($7) in prices for the current year.

The authorities announced fixing the price of a liter of kerosene at 86 piasters (1.2 dollars) and the price of a gas cylinder at 7 dinars (9.8 dollars), without raising them, like the rest of the oil derivatives that were raised during the current month’s pricing.

Parliamentary claims and official rejection

During the parliament session last Monday, deputies demanded a reduction in the prices of oil derivatives, especially kerosene, and the abolition of the added tax on them, and the head of the energy committee in the parliament, Representative Firas Al-Ajarmah, said after the session to Al-Jazeera Net that the prices of oil derivatives are higher in Jordan than the international price of oil due to the high value of the fixed tax on Oil derivatives sold to the Jordanian consumer, which amounts to 40% on some derivatives.

Al-Ajarmah added that the authorities of his country are required to reduce the prices of kerosene used for heating during the winter season for the poor, in order to secure social protection for them, especially since the amount of kerosene consumed annually does not exceed 9 million dinars annually (12.6 million dollars), and constitutes 1% of the volume of Imported oil derivatives.

The luxury of fuel subsidies

However, Jordanian Prime Minister Bisher Al-Khasawneh rejected the parliamentary demands, stressing that his government "will reflect the prices of oil derivatives at the international price on local prices, whether down or up," stressing that the public treasury "does not have the luxury of subsidizing fuel again, because this will cause an additional budget deficit and an increase in indebtedness." Especially after subsidizing fuel with 550 million dinars ($774 million) during the current year.

And between parliamentary and popular demands and the government's refusal to provide any financial support, the cold stings the children of the poor and needy with every drop in temperature, especially since the hikes also affected the prices of firewood and peat used for heating due to the rise in fuel prices.

Anger on social media

And on social media platforms, Jordanians exchange complaints about the high prices of oil derivatives, as the activist on Twitter, Ahmed Al-Zoubi, says, "The Prime Minister's announcement that the government is unable to subsidize fuel is a message to everyone that fuel will rise by astronomical numbers. The government does not ask about a citizen, a people, or prices Kerosene, which is the primary means of heating, and not about diesel, which is used by freight and transport drivers.

The Prime Minister announced that the government is unable to subsidize fuel

It is a message to everyone that hydrocarbons will rise by astronomical numbers

The government is not questioning, neither about a citizen, nor about a people, nor about the prices of kerosene, which is considered the first means of heating for the class whose father is cursed, nor about the diesel used by freight and transport drivers.

- Ahmed Al-Zoubi (@ AlzoubiAhmad90) December 5, 2022

As for the activist on Twitter, Razan Al-Amad, she tweeted on the hashtags #Jordan_is_not_okay and #freedom_for_prisoners_of_conscience, saying, “Jordan is a thousand good, praise be to God. The achievements of our wise government have placed us in the ranks of developed countries, and the Jordanian people are among the most prosperous peoples in the world. We returned the sheet, as the people are a little cold and unable to warm up! # Where is the sheet?

Jordan is well, and thank God, the achievements of our wise government have placed us in the ranks of developed countries, and the Jordanian people are among the most prosperous peoples in the world. There is no problem facing the state and its people, except that until now we have not returned the sheets, as the people are a little cold and unable to keep warm!

#Win_AlSharshaf #Jordan_Mish_Bakhir

- Razan Alamad Razan Al-Amad (@ AlamadRazan) December 2, 2022

As for the activist on Twitter, Muhammad Al-Amoush, he tweeted on the hashtag # Jordan # Jordan_is_not_okay, saying: The “kerosene” option is no longer included in the accounts of the Jordanian family, including Bashir Mobaideen, a citizen whose pension does not exceed 300 dinars ($423), who wonders: “Why does the government not feel the poor?” Where does tax and aid money go? Kerosene prices must be reduced and taxes removed."

#Jordan #Jordan_Mish_Bakhir


The “kerosene” option is no longer included in the accounts of the Jordanian family, including Bashir Mobaideen, a citizen whose pension does not exceed 300 dinars ($423), who wonders: “Why doesn’t the government feel about the poor? Where does tax and aid money go? Kerosene prices must be reduced.” and remove taxes.”

- Muhammad Al-Amoush Abu Anas (@MohmdEmoush) December 4, 2022