Ministry of Commerce monitors food prices to ensure fair practices

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KUWAIT CITY, Nov 4, (Agencies): On Saturday, November 4, 2023, a team led by Faisal Al-Ansari, the Director of the Technical Supervision and Pricing Department at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, conducted an inspection tour of wholesale markets in the Shuwaikh area. Their primary objective was to verify that there were no artificial price hikes in commodities and to track the availability of essential goods and food products.

Faisal Al-Ansari, Director of the Technical Supervision and Pricing Department, stated to Al-Anba News that the Ministry’s price monitoring team had observed the prices of essential goods and confirmed the availability of commodity stock. He emphasized that this action was in line with the Ministry’s work plan and directives from the Ministry’s leadership.

He further elaborated that Ziad Al-Najem, the Deputy Minister, recently established a committee at the Ministry, tasked with monitoring the availability of food items for a duration of two months.

Al-Ansari noted that food items were readily available, and the inspection team was implementing the Ministry’s plan, which involved monitoring markets and price tracking in cooperative societies, central markets, restaurants, cafes, meat and poultry shops, and more.

He added that the inspection team provides the license holder or store owner with a form containing commodity prices to be sent to the Ministry via email. These prices are then compared with the prices listed in the automated price monitoring system, which covers 39 essential commodities.

In the event of artificial price hikes, a violation report is prepared, and the matter is referred to the Commercial Prosecutor’s Office, which takes legal action against the violators.

Al-Ansari pointed out that the department regularly monitors the prices of essential goods displayed on market shelves on a weekly and monthly basis. He encouraged citizens to file complaints with the Ministry through the hotline at 135, WhatsApp at 55135135, or by visiting the centers near cooperative societies, totaling 21 centers.

He mentioned that the penalty for violations could lead to the immediate closure of the store by the Deputy Minister.

In other news, the Ministry of Commerce has requested markets to submit price lists electronically for monitoring purposes.

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