DOHA: The government plans to keep the prices of essential commodities under check and allow price fluctuations of only between 12 and 15 percent.
Prices of basic food items like wheat flour, rice, sugar, edible oil, vegetables, milk and milk products, for instance, will not be permitted to go up beyond the above percentages.
The Consumer Protection Law is being amended so that action can be taken against wholesalers and retailers who breach
this limit.
The amended provisions of the law (No. 8 of 2008) will also make sure that automobile dealers as well as those dealing in refrigerators and air-conditioners fulfil their commitments with regard to warranties.
This was disclosed by the Director of the Consumer Protection Department at the Ministry of Business and Trade, Sheikh Jassem bin Jaber Al Thani, to Central Municipal Council (CMC) members during an interaction on Tuesday.
He was a guest speaker at the CMC and said: “It will be a great achievement if we are able to bring the above warranties within the ambit of the Consumer Protection Law.”
Also, outlets considering raising the prices of their products and services will be required to approach the trade ministry for prior approval.
A committee is being set up at the ministry for this purpose. It will study such requests, compare the prices with those in the neighbouring countries, go into the reasons for the proposed price hike and then decide if approval can be given.
The State Cabinet has given the go-ahead for forming the said committee and its members are being appointed, Al Thani said.
According to him, the reason prices of foodstuff shot up in the recent past was that more than 80 percent of food items were imported, and transport and storage costs as well as shop rentals had gone up steeply due to inflation.
Qatar is a small market. There is hardly any competition among wholesalers and retailers and product choices are limited. Also, people here have strong brand loyalties. “This is not the case with neighbouring countries,” he remarked.
He said fixing the prices of essentials during Ramadan and the school reopening period will be an annual affair and added that from next week four more retail outlets will be included in the weekly price lists published by the Consumer Protection Department.
“We currently cover 10 outlets and 150 items. We will increase the number of outlets to 14 from next week and plan to raise the number of items to 500 over the long term,” Al Thani said.
THE PENINSULA
