Kuwait has decided to form a government committee to work for preventing sharp increases in the prices of building materials and persistent shortages due to logistics problems, a newspaper said on Wednesday.

Commerce and Industry Minister Abdullah Aljouan has issued a decision for the creation of the panel, which will work to find solutions to logistics obstacles, the Arabic language daily Alqabas said, citing official sources.

The paper said the decision followed a sharp rise in the prices of steel, wood and other building materials, adding that high shipping costs have aggravated the problem.

“This has led to spikes in the costs of construction projects…the Ministry believes that without effective solutions, such costs will continue to rise in the next year,” it said.

(Writing by Nadim Kawach; Editing by Anoop Menon)

(anoop.menon@lseg.com)

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