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Ministry allows unrestricted import of food items

The ministry's action to strike off those trade agencies and allow a free and unrestricted import of main food products comes in accordance with the Federal Law no. 13 of 2006 and its amendments article 23 and that of the Cabinet decision no. 538/1 of 2005.

The main food products covered by the decision range from milk (condensed and powder) rice, flour, chicken, tea, coffee, cheese, pasta, noodles, sugar, baby diapers, fish products, frozen and canned vegetables. The deregistered trade agencies affected by the decision were Coast and Nido milk, Kraft cheese, Brooke Bond and Lipton tea, Emborg and Monarch vegetables, Luvs and Pampers baby diapers, etc.

Speaking on the issue, the undersecretary of the Ministry of Economy, Abdullah bin Ahmed Al Saleh, underlined the positive results of the above mentioned deregistration on consumer protection by increasing competition among importers in the local market, as well as reducing and liberalising food prices.

The official added that the implementation of article 23 of the Federal law will enable cooperatives and companies trading in main food products to freely import such products without any restraints.

Commenting on the deregistration issue, acting director of the Trade Agencies Department of MOE, Najeeb Malalla Al Musalli, revealed the ministry's continuous and close monitoring of food prices. However, other food products such as juices, chocolate assortment, corn and potato chips and flakes are not affected by the deregistration issue, he concluded.