UMM AL QUWAIN // Ministry of Economy officials visited hypermarkets in Umm Al Quwain on Wednesday to enforce a Ramadan price freeze on staples such as rice, dates and corn.
“The inspection tours will continue throughout the holy month in the morning and evening,” said Hashim Al Nuaimi, director of the ministry’s consumer protection department. “Each day will have four tours.
“If a shop exploits the sales season and sells its items at high prices, we will take severe procedures that lead to closing the shop and a Dh100,000 fine.”
Mr Al Nuaimi said the inspections were also to ensure shelves were stocked with hard to find but popular items such as imported meats and herbs for the holy month.
The visits were part of the Ramadan Basket initiative to keep prices of basic foods low.
A basket of 20 items, including rice, oil, salt, dates, corn, ketchup, mayonnaise and margarine, is available for Dh130, while a selection of 12 foods will cost Dh90.
“Ramadan baskets contain items that are used for one week by a family consisting of five members,” said Mr Al Nuaimi. “We tested this basket and found that it covers their needs for seven days.”
The baskets are popular with shoppers, he said, with 90,000 baskets sold at supermarkets or bought by charities and distributed to the needy last year, and “we are expecting to this year sell about 120,000”.
Mr Al Nuaimi said the price initiative was supported by the big supermarket chains.
“The commercial sector and cooperative societies put more than Dh210 million to support the offers and discounts during the month of Ramadan,” he said.
“Union Cooperative Society put in Dh15m and Dh20m came from LuLu Hypermarket.”
Despite the ministry’s best efforts, prices can creep up as the holy month progresses.
A report by the Statistics Centre Abu Dhabi last year found the price of food in the first week of Ramadan rose on average by 1.9 per cent across the emirate, compared with the first week of the previous month.
Fruit and vegetables prises increased by 5.9 and 7.9 per cent, while coffee, tea and cocoa rose by 3.2 per cent, and fish and seafood by 2.8 per cent.
Mr Al Nuaimi said there would be no shortage of rarer, popular food items this year.
“People were always complaining about the lack of parsley, but it is now available and at the same price,” he said. “Also, various types of meat – Australian, Indian, Pakistani, Ethiopian and local – are obtainable and at discounted prices.”
Suppliers and retailers cannot increase prices of essential commodities during the holy month without written consent from authorities.
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