The (food availability and prices) Emergency Room for following up on the availability of basic commodities met at the headquarters of the municipal authority in Tripoli yesterday.
The so-called Emergency Room was formed by Cabinet Resolution No. 107 of 2023. It was formed by Prime Minister Abd Alhamid Aldabaiba to regulate prices during Ramadan which have a habit of rising due to high, short-term demand. The fasting month of Ramadan is a high consumption month.
The meeting was chaired by the head of the Municipal Guard, Rajab Gattusa, and in the presence of the Director of the Internal Trade Department at the Ministry of Economy and Trade, Mustafa Gadara, and the Director of the Security Affairs Department at the Internal Security Agency, Jalal Al-Galali, and the Director of the Food and Drug Control Centre, Tripoli Branch, Shaaban Saleh, and the Director of the Food Control Department at the Food and Drugs Control Centre, Abdul Majeed Suleiman
Municipal Guard monitor quality and prices
Speaking exclusively Libya Herald, the Director of the Internal Trade Department at the Ministry of Economy and trade, Mustafa Gadara, said several important axes were reviewed within the agenda. These focused on continuous monitoring of the availability of basic food commodities in all Libyan cities and regions, by activating the role of the municipal guard. This role is in preventing monopoly and price speculation by some merchants while monitoring the conformity of these goods to Libyan specifications and standards and their safety from defects, as well as preventing tampering with their validity.
Balanced supply of goods by private sector was key
Gadara referred to the Emergency Room’s success in cooperation with many food manufacturers and wholesalers in the balanced distribution of basic foodstuffs and others to all wholesale markets and stores as well as to major markets in Libyan cities.
No price increases this Ramadan
It is this that has maintained the stability of the market in terms of the availability of all foodstuffs, he explained. The demand for these increases during the month of Ramadan, but their prices did not rise this year, as had happened in Ramadan last year, due to fears of low food supplies in the world due to the war in Ukraine.
Proposal to set lamb meat and egg prices
Gadara said that it was agreed by the Emergency Room to submit a proposal to the Minister of Economy and Trade to issue a decision setting prices for important commodities. These would enable the law enforcement authorities to implement them and prevent price manipulation by violators, especially the prices of meat and eggs.
The proposed price controls for locally reared lamb and eggs are as follows:
- A kilo of local lamb meat less than 6 months old – LD 50 dinars
- A kilo of local lamb meat more than 6 months and less than a year – LD 40 dinars
- A kilo of local lamb meat over a year old – LD 30 dinars
- A tray of 30 eggs – LD 12 dinars
Gadara stressed that these prices are according to a thorough study of the Libyan market and the external influences on it, with the calculation of the various economic variables at home. These prices come as an urgent step to adjust the pricing to ensure the availability of goods and consumer protection, he explained.
He warned the merchants that violators and speculators will be caught within the framework of regulating the local market to achieve stability and food security for the citizen, and these prices will be circulated after a decision is issued soon in this regard.
Supplies of basic commodities plentiful for Ramadan: Economy Ministry (libyaherald.com)
