• Home

Ministry warns stationery dealers against price hike

The Ministry of Economy launched an inspection campaign last week, targeting stationery shops, to ensure that stationery dealers do not exploit consumers by hiking the prices shortly before the new academic year and school reopening.

Dr Hashim Saeed Al Nuaimi, Director of the Consumer Protection Department of the Ministry of Economy, said that the campaign was started after the ministry received complaints from consumers alleging that some stationery traders are taking advantage of the new academic year by raising prices. Al Nuaimi has warned stationery dealers against exploiting consumers and hiking the prices in view of excessive demand on school materials. The ministry also appealed to the consumers to cooperate with it to catch the wrongdoers by filing a complaint for any malpractices and violations encountered.

Al Nuaimi assured that the ministry had warned dealers, through written circulars and field inspection visits, of not exhibiting prices on the school materials. The ministry ordered stationery vendors to show the prices of such items on or beside them on the shelves.

Al Nuaimi pointed out that the ministry will receive a report on the violations and irregularities made by errant stationery dealers in the country so that it could take the necessary action against wrongdoers by imposing fines, which could reach up to Dh100,000 in certain cases.

He said that the ministry had received applications from suppliers and producers for increasing prices of a some commodities including water, poultry, eggs and edible oil ranging from 10 to 20 per cent.

“None of those bodies have been so far given a nod to raise the price of the said goods,” Al Nuaimi confirmed. He also said that a fixed price list of food items is enforced and no food commodity was given a price hike recently. If any increase was detected, a fine of Dh5,000 to Dh100,000 can be imposed on the responsible seller, he added.

Al Nuaimi clarified that the Higher Committee for Consumer Protection will review a number of applications submitted by suppliers for increasing prices of some food stuff in its upcoming meeting to be chaired by Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansouri, Minister of Economy.

He stressed that the committee will not allow any price hike before the committee reviews the justifications of the suppliers and verifies that they are reasonable.

news@khaleejtimes.com