"Economy" She reviews her efforts to enhance price oversight during Ramadan

Abu Dhabi, February 25 / WAM / The Ministry of Economy reviewed during a media briefing today, its efforts and partners in preparation for receiving the blessed month of Ramadan, where the most prominent developments in the consumer protection system, the efforts made to ensure the stability of the markets, were highlighted, and enhancing control over the prices of products, goods and services in markets The state.

Sultan Ahmed Darwish, Director of the Consumer Protection and Commercial Control Department in the Supervision and Commercial Governance Sector at the Ministry of Economy, stressed that the UAE has paid great attention to the development of an integrated legislative and regulatory system for consumer protection, in a manner that ensures the achievement of the highest levels of protection and justice in the markets and achieves its stability in accordance with best global practices.

He pointed out that the Ministry of Economy is working continuously in cooperation with the relevant government agencies at the federal and local levels, especially through the Supreme Committee for Consumer Protection, and in communication and coordination with the cooperative sector, the private sector and the stakeholders, in order to provide an appropriate and safe environment for the consumer when purchasing goods and products or receiving services .

Darwish reviewed the efforts of the state in providing a safe environment for the consumer through a set of legislation and initiatives that contributed to strengthening this system, including the decree of a federal law No. (5) of 2023 to amend the Consumer Protection Law, and its executive regulations, which is a detailed station in developing a protection environment Consumer and enhance control mechanisms, find a balanced relationship between the provider and the consumer, and grant consumers More rights and guarantees, as the regulation has set more than 43 commitment to the suppliers, and to provide integrated organizational mechanisms and procedures to enable sound commercial practices in the markets.

Darwish pointed out that the new policy for pricing consumer basic commodities, and its regulatory decisions are a basic pillar to control prices in local markets, where 9 basic consumer goods have been identified, whose prices are only allowed with prior approval from the ministry and the competent authorities, including: cooking oil, eggs, dairy , Rice, sugar, poultry, legumes, bread, and wheat, while the rest of the goods are subject to mechanisms I offer, demand and competition.

He explained that the pricing policy has emerged from it three ministerial decisions that organize its implementation process, and includes the decision to monitor the prices of basic consumer goods, the decision of the unit pricing, and the decision of the guiding behavior code in the consumer commodity sector, and all aim to enhance the mechanisms of controlling prices in cooperation and integration between the ministry and local departments, and also strengthens Organizing the relationship between traders and consumers, ensuring transparency in the markets, and enhancing fair competition between Selling outlets and suppliers.

Darwish said that the launch of the “digital national platform to monitor the movement of commodity prices” is a pivotal step that enhances the Ministry’s supervisory role and its partners, which provides an immediate tracking mechanism for the movement of commodity prices in a wide range of cooperative societies and major sales outlets in the country, which enables work teams in the Ministry of Economy and authorities The specialized locality is to know the actual prices of basic commodities in various places and at the same time, in order to follow up, compare and ensure their compatibility With the price ceiling set by the ministry according to the approved pricing policy. He pointed out that the teams concerned with the ministry and economic development departments in the various state markets carried out about 80,249 inspection rounds at the state level, resulted in the seizure of 8,388 violations, while 768 inspection rounds were implemented during January and February 2025 from the ministry team, with planning to conduct 420 rounds Additional during the month of Ramadan, in order to ensure the commitment of traders to pricing policies and not to use the increase in seasonal demand to raise prices Unjustified.

Darwish also announced that the ministry held more than 60 meetings during the year 2024 and the beginning of 2025 with the main sales outlets in the country to ensure the availability of products and the commitment of sales outlets to the new price policies of basic commodities, indicating that the daily import volume of vegetables and fruits reached at least 15 thousand tons In the Dubai Central Market for Vegetables and Fruits in Al -Aweer, while the daily import volume of Abu Dhabi merchants reached more than 6 Thousands of tons.

He stressed that the rates of discounts on goods and products reached approximately 65%, on 5500 products in one of the main sales outlets whose branches are spread in all emirates of the state by more than 600 major selling outlets, and the value of these total discounts amounted to 35 million dirhams in one of the associations. The cooperative, bringing the total number of commodities covered in promotional offers for Ramadan 2025 to more than 10,000 commodities.

Darwish pointed out that the ministry attaches utmost importance to enhancing consumer awareness and encouraging the public to adopt sustainable purchasing practices, noting that 1,891 complaints were received through the electronic services system to solve consumers complaints during the year 2024, more than 93% of them were resolved on time.

He also urged consumers to interact with the official communication channels of the Ministry via the number 8001222, or for the competent local departments, to report any violations related to pricing or fake offers, or other violations of consumer protection.

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