Amid the ongoing regional conflict, and escalating war between Iran-US-Israel, UAE has been grappling with numerous problems being faced by the authorities and citizens alike. While public safety and board exam schedules were already looming as consistent troubles, a recent hike in vegetable prices has darkened the cloud of doom for the public. Residents in the UAE have been reporting sudden fluctuations in the price of vegetables and other commodities in recent days. But now, the Ministry of Economy and Tourism has made moves to intensify monitoring efforts to control the prices in the market.
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As per the ministry, the prices of some commodities like tomatoes and onions have seen a temporary rise in the past two days due to the effects of the ongoing regional crisis.
Residents report a sudden rise in prices
Local companies across the country have joined the effort to ensure the continuation of the supply chain. They are assuring customers that there is a steady supply of fresh produce at the markets. NRTC Group, part of the Ghitha Holding, has activated a quick operational response centred on diversified sourcing, logistics planning and rapid procurement since the beginning of the unrest. Mohammed Al Rifai, CEO of the group said that consumers should continue to find fruits and vegetables on shelves as they would on a normal day: from berries to beans, plums to potatoes and cherries to chillies. “Our teams have worked proactively to secure supply from both regular and alternative sources to ensure stability and availability,” he said.The company has imported an estimated 3,000 tonnes of produce from Jordan, Türkiye, Syria and Egypt through land corridors in the past week. Moreover, it has transported 200 tonnes of produce through air freight and 1,200 tonnes via the ports of Khor Fakkan and Fujairah. LuLu Group also airlifted 80.000kg of Indian produce including fruits, vegetables and other perishables in Abu Dhabi on March 7. Recently, several other retailers said they were arranging special cargo operations from other key global markets to ensure a steady flow of products into the country.
Violators to face tough fines
On March 8, the UAE’s Ministry of Economy and Tourism said that it has carried out about 4,468 inspection tours in markets in cooperation with the Department of Economic Development, which resulted in the detection of 554 violations. As a result, 449 warnings were issued to traders, suppliers and sales outlets while financial fines totalling Dh176,000 were imposed on the defaulters. This was announced during an extensive field tour conducted by Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy and Tourism and Chairman of the Higher Committee for Consumer Protection of Al Awir Central Vegetable and Fruit Market in Dubai.
