| 15 Jul 2010 |
|
Qatar: Prices of 156 items fixed for Ramadan
- Text size
DOHA: The Minister of Business and Trade yesterday issued a decision ordering retailers to fix the maximum prices of at least 156 basic food and non-food items during Ramadan.
The move, which was made for the first time last Ramadan, aims at preventing retailers from hiking the prices of these food and non-food items during the holy month, when demand for them goes up substantially.
The minister has this year included some more items in his price-fixing decision.
Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported yesterday that the price freeze will remain in force from July 25 until the end of Ramadan.
The fasting month is expected to begin from August 11 or 12 and last until September 9 or 10.
The items whose maximum retail prices are being fixed by the trade minister include rice, wheat, sugar, edible oil, butter, milk and milk products, among other things.
Dates are also being included in the list. Some key non-food items whose retail price slabs have been announced include tissue paper, detergents and soaps.
Wholesalers have been urged to supply these items to retailers in the quantities they request and the retailers have been asked to abide by the price list or face the music.
However, according to retailers, the prices of most of the items fixed by the minister are lower than their cost price.
Sources said that the Consumer Protection Department (CPD) at the trade ministry, which mooted the idea of a price freeze during Ramadan last year and monitors the outlets during the fasting month, convened a meeting of officials from major shopping centres yesterday and handed them the price list.
Citing an example, a retailer said that the maximum retail price for Tilda basmati rice had been fixed at QR125 for a 10kg pack while its cost price was QR129.
The minister, H E Sheikh Jassem bin Abdul Aziz bin Jassem Al Thani, has also included Syrian mutton in the price freeze decision. The demand for Syrian mutton soars during Ramadan.
This Ramadan it will be sold by retailers for QR42 a kilo, but the price freeze will be applicable from August 1.
Last year, the retail price of Syrian mutton had risen beyond QR50 during the fasting month.
© The Peninsula 2010
Zawya is a distributor (and not a publisher) of content supplied by third parties and subscribers. Any opinions, advice, statements, services, offers, or other information or content expressed or made available by those third parties, including information providers, subscribers or other users of the Service, are those of the respective author(s) or distributor(s) and not of the Company. The Company neither endorses nor is responsible for the accuracy or reliability of any opinion, advice or statement made on the Service by anyone other than authorized Service employee spokespersons while acting in their official capacities. The Company is not responsible for any infringement of intellectual property rights or breach of any applicable law or regulation, including regulation in relation to financial services or the distribution of financial products, defamation, data protection, telecommunications (including regulations relating to excessive use, spamming or other abusive activities) or obscene, offensive or illegal content). Under no circumstances will the Company be liable for any loss or damage caused by a member's reliance on information obtained through the Service. It is the responsibility of member to evaluate the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of any information, opinion, advice or other content available through the Service. Please seek the advice of professionals, as appropriate, regarding the evaluation of any specific information, opinion, advice or other content.
Read the full Member Agreement
http://www.zawya.com/legal/NewsLetter.cfm?name=disclaimer
Loading ...
Post a Comment
1.1 Contain any material which is libelous or defamatory of any person, is obscene, offensive, hateful or inflammatory or causes damage to the reputation of any person or organisation.
1.2 Promote sexually explicit material, violence, discrimination based on race, sex, religion, nationality, disability, sexual orientation or age or any illegal activity.
1.3 Be made in breach of any legal duty owed to a third party, such as a contractual duty or a duty of confidence.
1.4 Be threatening, abuse or invade another's privacy, or cause annoyance, inconvenience or needless anxiety.
1.5 Be used to impersonate any person, to misrepresent your identity or affiliation with any person, or be likely to deceive any person.
1.6 Give the impression that they represent Zawya.
1.7 Advocate, promote or assist any unlawful act such as (by way of example only) copyright infringement or computer misuse.