UAE | General

Mineral water gets costlier

Consumers are complaining that prices of all essential commodities have gone up. Many supermarkets also confirmed the price increase of up to 50 per cent for some commodities in the past six months.

  • By Binsal Abdul Kader, Staff Reporter
  • Published: 00:01 July 30, 2007
  • Gulf News

  • Many supermarkets also confirmed the price increase of up to 50 per cent for some commodities in the past six months.
  • Image Credit: Gulf News

Abu Dhabi: Consumers are complaining that prices of all essential commodities have gone up.

"Whatever I purchased for Dh100 two months ago costs me around Dh130-Dh140 now," said James, an Indian expatriate who has been living in Abu Dhabi for the past 10 years.

Many supermarkets also confirmed the price increase of up to 50 per cent for some commodities in the past six months.

A senior manager of a prominent retail chain disclosed that the retail price of wheat flour has gone up by 50 per cent since January.

Basic commodities

"The 50kg bag of wheat flour priced at Dh56.50 in January was increased to Dh71 on July 5 and further increased to Dh83 this week," he said.

A 10kg bag of another type of flour, a mix of wheat and ground gram, went up by more than 30 per cent in the same period. The retail price was Dh13.50 in January but is now Dh17.95.

Interestingly the price was increased thrice this month. It was increased to Dh14.85 on July 1, and further increased to Dh15.95 and Dh17.95 on July 5 and July 29 respectively.

"Wheat is mainly imported from the United States, India and Pakistan. Apart from the increase in the cost of production, the fluctuation in the exchange rate is also said to be the reason for the substantial rise in price. The appreciation of the Indian rupee against the US dollar and the dirham has caused a price rise for almost all commodities imported from India," the manager of the retail chain said. But most retailers admitted that prices will not come down when the exchange rate is changed.

The latest in the series of price rises is that of mineral water.

"Almost all suppliers of mineral water have given notice to us that prices will be increased from July 1 onwards. A four-gallon water can will be priced at Dh9 against the current price of Dh7," said V. Nanda Kumar, Corporate Communications Manager of Emke Group. "We have told the suppliers that the new prices have to be ratified by the Ministry of Economy," he said.

The price of rice and vegetable oil has also gone up. Two of the oil brands have already implemented the price rise and others have given notice for the same to the wholesale dealers.

The price of sugar has been fluctuating during the past three months. Many consumers have demanded the intervention of the Ministry of Economy to control prices. No official from the ministry was available for comments.

Have your say
How much of an impact does it make on your budget? What will you cut back on? Should some basics like flour, sugar and water be subsidised across the nation? Tell us at letter2editor@gulfnews.com or fill in the form below to send your comments.


Your comments


I changed my eating habits because of the rising cost of living. I also cut my landline phone and DSL connection. Aside from this, I walk on my way home instead of taking a taxi.
Romeo
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: July 30, 2007, 11:32

My husband and I are giving up little luxuries we came to this country to enjoy. We used to have a good quality of living even without saving, and now we are struggling to afford the basics, starting with a decent roof above our heads.
Halla
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: July 30, 2007, 10:28

As an expat I am really worried about the price increase because the average income of a person working in a private company is Dh2,000-3,000 and it is really, really hard to meet the expenses and save even a small amount of money.
Winni
Dubai,UAE
Posted: July 30, 2007, 09:57

If inflation continues, there will surely be an exodus of people from this part of the world.
Vijay
Dubai,UAE
Posted: July 30, 2007, 09:25

When I came eight years ago, life was so much better here in Dubai. Now, with the unreasonable increase in rents, school fees and even daily commodities, the increase in expenditures has become almost unbearable.
Roopa
Dubai,UAE
Posted: July 30, 2007, 09:17

This will surely affect my budget. When I was in Muscat I did not have a hard time budgeting my money.
Sherafudheen
Muscat,Oman
Posted: July 30, 2007, 09:15

I was planning on bringing my family here but now I think I will be leaving this country. It seems that the cost of living is too much for middle-income earners.
Nadeem
Sharjah,UAE
Posted: July 30, 2007, 09:15

This is going to create a huge impact on everyone?s budget. With rising house rents and prices of commodities, things have become a Dubai Shocking Surprise.
Mohamed
Dubai,UAE
Posted: July 30, 2007, 08:37

If the prices continue to go up like this, I will seriously consider moving back to my home country. It seems that I am only earning enough to survive here.
Julie
Dubai,UAE
Posted: July 30, 2007, 08:37

The increase in the cost of all essential commodities, the rise in home rent along with a bleak exchange rate and without a significant raise in the disposable income of the residents can only aggravate an already stressed expatriate community.
Raj
Fujairah,UAE
Posted: July 30, 2007, 08:24

More and more qualified and skilled expatriates will be moving out of UAE if this situation continues.
Mathew
Dubai,UAE
Posted: July 30, 2007, 08:23

The government needs to use the principles of macro economics (like monetary policy) to ease this inflation.
Ramesh
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: July 30, 2007, 08:16

This is really unacceptable. The price of milk powder has gone up in a week. How can people survive? I think the country is heading for trouble if this is not controlled.
Sandra
Dubai,UAE
Posted: July 30, 2007, 07:17

This place is great but is being ruined now by the rising prices of basic commodities. I hope the government will do something about it because for expats like me, any further increase means smaller savings on my bank account or none at all.
Arnold
Dubai,UAE
Posted: July 30, 2007, 07:09

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