Joint municipal team inspects shops, stores

KUWAIT CITY, March 25: Several suppliers of fruits and vegetables to cooperative societies and supermarkets say the partial curfew imposed by the government has harmed the vegetable market and caused resentment among consumers concerning the delay, which is not in the hands of the suppliers, reports Al-Rai daily.

In an interview conducted by the daily, a vegetable trader Mahmoud Salam lamented that the curfew resulted in the closure of the vegetable market from 3:00 pm to 4:00 am, thus preventing suppliers from buying, preparing, and transporting their products early.

He said he hopes the company responsible for the market would be able to allow the workers to stay overnight in the market in order to carry out the necessary preparations of the products so that they can be transported immediately after the curfew ends at dawn, adding that these products could then be available on the shelves of the cooperative societies and supermarkets by 6:00 am.

Meanwhile, another vegetable trader Mustafa Ahmed urged Kuwait General Administration of Customs to cooperate with the suppliers by opening the customs center early enough in order to clear the customs procedures on time so that the suppliers can transport their goods as quickly as possible to the market.

In addition, head of Fintas Cooperative Society Mohammed Al- Sawagh stressed that the arrival of fresh vegetables and fruits to cooperative societies at 9:00 am means the consumers may not get their supplies, especially with the curfew and the delay of cooperative societies’ workers to report to work. He urged Ministry of Interior to give the suppliers the necessary permission and sufficient time to deliver fruits and vegetables to cooperative societies, especially the cooperative societies that are located far from the headquarters of the vegetable market (Shabra) in Sulaibiya area