Dubai: The Ministry of Economy has launched an integrated plan to enhance market stability and price control during Ramadan.
The plan was announced by Sultan Bin Saeed Al Mansouri, Minister of Economy, on Monday.
Al Mansouri said that consumer protection is at the forefront of the ministry's strategies.
Al Mansouri said that the plan also aims to make consumers adopt efficient consumer behaviour, which is within the framework of Federal Law No 24 of 2006 of consumer protection.
He said that the recently launched initiative by the ministry to fix the prices of 700 key commodities in 70 outlets nationwide is also within the plan to ensure the stability of the market.
According to Al Mansouri, the plan identifies four key goals — provision of commodities very widely used during Ramadan, preparing for sudden and unjustified increases in consumer products, spreading awareness among consumers and among traders to prevent monopolies and exploitation of the rise in demand during the month.
The ministry has adopted a mechanism to implement the plan through regular discussions with the suppliers of key Ramadan products, strict monitoring of outlets and encouraging suppliers to import products directly to get better prices.
The ministry has also urged outlets to sell low-priced Ramadan food baskets that include all staple food products.
Mohammad Ahmad Bin Abdul Aziz Al Shehi, Undersecretary in the Ministry of Economy, said that the ministry will ensure that it fully implements the Ramadan plan by conducting daily field visits to various outlets and markets and nabbing violators of the consumer protection law. He said that the visits will be launched before and during the fasting month. The ministry will also be coordinating with the Islamic Affairs and Endowments Authority to ensure that imams and preachers in mosques raise awareness among consumers to rationalise their consumption.
