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Retailers told to freeze prices of 3,500 items by Economy Ministry

The UAE Ministry of Economy has announced action plans to ensure maximum consumer protection in preparation for Ramadan under the directives of the Higher Committee for Consumer Protection.

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Dubai — The Ministry of Economy has held more than 50 meetings with various cooperative societies and retail outlets across the UAE, recommending them to increase imports during the holy month of Ramadan while ensuring that prices of 3,500 food items remain fixed.

Addressing the media, Dr Hashim Al Nuaimi, director of consumer protection directorate at the ministry, said the ministry has taken several measures to ensure that prices of 3,500 food items remain fixed during the holy month of Ramadan. It will also see to it that the import of basic food commodities is increased by 30 per cent to beef-up the stocks.

All the retails shops are required to display a detailed listing all the 3,500 commodities and their fixed prices. Retail outlets are also mandated to indicate the price of all fixed priced commodities on shelves and clearly designate their location in the store for the benefit of customers.

Dr Al Nuaimi added that the ministry has requested suppliers to increase imports of fruit and vegetable supplies by 30% to guarantee demand is fully met while ensuring prices remain constant. He said the ministry expects that the daily imports of vegetables and fruits in the Dubai market alone will reach 16,000 metric tonnes, while traders in Abu Dhabi will import a further 3,500 tonnes during Ramadan.

The ministry has also reached an agreement with cooperatives and hypermarkets to instal price reading devices that allow customers to know the price before heading to the check-out counter. More than 2,200 of these devices have been installed to date. This number is set to rise to 3,000 by year-end 2015.  Dr Al Nuaimi said that the retailers have agreed to work with the ministry to support the reduction of prices of essential commodities during Ramadan. These outlets will begin offering discounts and bargains shortly ahead of the festivities. Some 4,700 commodities are set to be included within this scheme, as part of the agreement between the outlets and the Ministry of Economy. Some of the essential commodities will be offered at discounted rates of up to 70 per cent. The value of these initiatives is estimated at Dh200 million.

The ministry announced action plans to ensure maximum consumer protection in preparation for the holy month under the directives of the Higher Committee for Consumer Protection (HCCP), headed by Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansouri, Minister of Economy.

Officials from the ministry of economy held similar meetings with representatives of major hypermarkets, retail outlets and cooperative societies in the UAE, as well as vegetable and fruit traders in Abu Dhabi and Dubai to ensure that basic commodities are available in full measure to meet the spike in demand during the holy month of Ramadan.

salah@khaleejtimes.com

• UAE