Abu Dhabi food prices up in first week of Ramadan

ABU DHABI // Food prices rose during the first week of Ramadan, a report suggests.

Costs increased by 1.9 per cent across the emirate compared with the first week of last month, according to the Statistics Centre Abu Dhabi.

The rise is an average derived from increases in 11 groups. Some of these groups, such as fruit and vegetables, saw rises of 5.9 per cent and 7.9 per cent respectively.

Coffee, tea and cocoa increased by 3.2 per cent, while fish and seafood went up by 2.8 per cent.

"The report data is instrumental to the monitoring of food prices by the Government authorities, to ensure that there is sufficient supply of various goods during Ramadan, as well as to exercise consumer protection," the report states.

The survey was broken down into regions. In Abu Dhabi city, fruit prices rose by 5.6 per cent, while in Al Gharbia and Al Ain they rose by 5.8 per cent and 10.7 per cent respectively. Vegetables rose by 7.5 per cent in Abu Dhabi, 7.8 per cent in Al Ain, and 12.2 per cent in Al Gharbia.

The survey covered 214 food items in locations deemed the most representative of the "broad segment of consumers across the emirate of Abu Dhabi during the month of Ramadan".

The survey will be carried out weekly to determine increases.

But Richard Adams, a retail consultant at Acuity Middle East, said how representative the data was depended on how many sites were surveyed.

"If one retailer in one area does change their prices, that will show up in the data as a significant spike," he said. "You could potentially get a very misleading perspective."