Houthi attacks targeted Israeli shipping companies or those heading towards Israel (Anatolia Agency)
The Jordanian government announced on Wednesday that it was taking measures to deal with what it called "potential inflationary pressures" resulting from the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip and the disturbances in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab.
A statement by the Jordanian Ministry of Industry and Trade stated that these measures aim to preserve food stocks and regular supply baskets in the Kingdom, and to ensure price stability and market control, especially before and during the month of Ramadan.
The ministry said through its spokesman, Yanal Al-Baramawi, that “the measures included setting ceilings for container prices for the purpose of estimating and calculating customs duties to reduce costs, thus keeping them as they were before October 7, 2023.”
Al-Baramawi added, "The regulatory and competent authorities in Aqaba have been instructed to work 24 hours a day to speed up clearance procedures for goods, especially food."
He continued, "The General Silo Company has begun implementing the directives of the Council of Ministers to allow the private sector to store food commodities with the Silo Company at cost prices that are 40% less than the prices approved outside it."
Last December, the Jordanian government banned the export of basic food commodities such as sugar, rice, and vegetable oils, to preserve stocks and provide the necessary quantities to the local market.
The government decision stipulated “stopping the implementation of some procedural requirements for importing food commodities, for their sustainability in the local market, such as meat.”
On January 15, the Jordanian Prime Minister directed the ministries and relevant authorities in the Kingdom to take measures and measures to deal with the potential inflationary effects on the local market, due to developments in the Red Sea.
The cost of incoming freight through the Bab al-Mandab Strait increased by up to 170% due to Houthi attacks on ships linked to Israel, which prompted shipping companies to suspend all their flights through the Strait.
In solidarity with the Gaza Strip - which has been exposed since October 7, 2023 to a devastating Israeli war with American support - the Houthis are targeting, with missiles and drones, cargo ships in the Red Sea owned or operated by Israeli and American companies or transporting goods to and from Israel.
Source: Anadolu Agency