Doha: The Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI) has intensified its inspection campaigns at commercial establishments, including food producers, suppliers, and retail outlets selling food products and other consumable items.
Officials from the concerned authorities, including inspectors from the Consumer Protection Department at the Ministry, are conducting surprise raids at warehouses and various other places, checking the quality standard of products, their expiry dates and other details to ensure consumers’ interests such as prices, safety, health, and hygiene-related specifications.
“The ministry is intensifying its inspection campaign to monitor markets and commercial activities across the country, given the exceptional circumstances that the State of Qatar is experiencing and the need to unite and coordinate efforts,” said the MoCI in its official Twitter handle.
The inspection campaigns fall in line with efforts aimed at stabilising prices and uncovering violations such as counterfeit products and substandard goods.
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has also issued a short video message reiterating that it will be firm in supervising non-complaint suppliers and will refer violators of laws and ministerial decisions to competent authorities that will take appropriate measures.
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry recently set the maximum prices for selling sanitizers and sterilizers in the market. The Ministry had released a list of 214 products and their maximum prices.
It is prohibited to for all outlets including pharmacies and others entities to sell sanitizers and sterilizers over the prices mentioned in the list. The notice warned that legal actions will be taken against the violators.
“The government of Qatar in general and the Ministry of Industry and Commerce in particular is doing an incredible job, especially in terms of monitoring the prices of essential commodities to protect the interests of consumers as well as suppliers. Without the government’s close monitoring of the market, suppliers and retailers would have surely taken the undue advantage of the situation to make extra bucks,” said Ziaul Haque, an Indian expatriate in Qatar.
Another customer, who gave his name only as R Menon, thanked Qatar’s efforts and self-sufficiency drive which made the country self-depended in terms of the production of many essential items such as milk, chicken and other important products.
“As there is a complete lockdown in India and other destinations from where Qatar essentially imported perishable food items, today it might have been a big problem. We really thank Qatar’s wise leadership and appreciate the strategic decisions and investments it made, especially after the siege, that strengthen its position,” said Menon.
Nearly a couple of weeks ago, the Ministry, in line with the collective efforts to fight the spread of COVID-19, issued a decision to close all outlets serving hot and cold beverages, coffee shops and cafeteria until further notice.
