Jordan lowers fuel prices for ninth time since last August

AMMAN, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- Jordan government Thursday lowered fuel prices for the ninth time since last August.

The prices of diesel and kerosene were lowered by 5.6 percent to 0.335 Jordanian dinar (about 0.473 U.S. dollar) a litre from 0.355 dinar, said Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources Secretary General Farouk Hiyari.

However, the prices of gasoline 90 and gasoline 95 do not change due to "stability in its prices on international markets," Hiyari added.

Meanwhile, the price of cooking gas dropped for the first time from 6.5 dinar per cylinder to 6.250 dinar last August, down by about 4 percent.

Hiyari said the current updated cooking gas price represents the actual cost for the government, adding that the update prices will be effective until Feb. 12.

Jordan lifted fuel subsidies in last February and a special committee was assigned to define the prices. (1 dollar=0.708 dinar)