Ramadan reduced prices should be upheld, reminds official

HE Sheikh Jassim bin Jabor al-Thani

A senior official from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI) has affirmed the need to adhere to the prices specified in the list of discounted goods until the end of the holy month of Ramadan, and stressed inspection campaigns will be intensified to apprehend violators, in order to protect the rights of consumers. In a statement to the official Qatar News Agency (QNA), HE the Assistant Undersecretary for Consumer Affairs Sheikh Jassim bin Jabor al-Thani urged consumers to report any cases of price violations through the ministry's communication channels. The MoCI's discounted consumer good list, including more than 800 commodities, came into effect on Wednesday in co-ordination with major consumer complexes. The list includes all the basic commodities that the consumer needs during the holy month, such as flour, sugar, rice, pasta, chicken, oil, milk and other food commodities, in addition to non-food commodities such as tissue paper, aluminum foil, and all kinds of detergents, washing powders and other commodities of relative importance to the consumer and which are frequently consumed during the blessed month. Earlier in the week in an interview to Qatar TV, Sheikh Jassim had advised consumers to compare prices and go to those outlets offering lower prices while contributing to the country’s efforts to encourage healthy competition and increase the quality of products. "Qatar is looking to provide commodities at reasonable prices by taking necessary measures. Qatar supports merchants in order to help consumers afford commodities,” he said, noting that differences in prices from one outlet to another is a natural thing. “If the prices of commodities are the same at all outlets it could result in a type of monopoly. The role of the consumer is to opt for the best deals. Costs of commodities vary from one supplier to another. This is a good indication. The logistic capacity has a role in the price of commodities and all outlets are doing their best to attract customers by offering promotions. The reasons behind the rise or fall in prices today are economic growth and the supply and demand,” he said. HE the Assistant Undersecretary pointed out to QNA that Ramadan this year is in the midst of global turmoil, especially with regard to the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine, which in turn has strongly affected global supply chains, especially in some major commodities, such as wheat of all kinds, grains, rice, gas and petroleum. This opened the door to many questions about the availability of major commodities, price moderation, price control, performance expectations, and other questions not only in Qatar, but in various parts of the world, especially Islamic countries, in the context of Ramadan.