Price chaos in local markets and "merchants' greed" tops the scene

The Consumer Protection Association stressed that the daily rise in prices in the local markets is no longer directly related to exchange rate fluctuations, but has been driven by the "greed of traders" who have taken advantage of the liberalization of prices to achieve double profits.

In a  statement to Al-Watan newspaper, the association's secretary, Abderrazak Habza, explained that the exchange rate has become an "excuse" to disavow reasonable profit rates, pointing out that the absence of real competition has led to a sharp price disparity between neighboring shops.

The association called on the concerned authorities to set an "indicative price" for basic materials that sets a profit ceiling, criticizing the limited role of the supervisory authorities to monitoring the price announcement only without interfering with the fairness of the pricing itself, which caused a state of price chaos and the inability of the Syrian Trading Corporation to play the role of a "positive intervenor".

Vegetable Market

In the vegetable and fruit sector, the markets witnessed a relative decline in the price of tomatoes after reaching record levels of 17 thousand pounds per kilo.

The head of the Vegetable Traders and Exporters Committee in Damascus, Osama Qaziz, attributed this increase to the weakness of local production affected by the recent cold waves and the decline in the amount of imports, and with the entry of about 10 refrigerators loaded with tomatoes from Lebanon, the wholesale price dropped to about 12 thousand pounds.

Kaziz predicted that the next few days will witness a greater decrease as weather conditions improve and the production of greenhouses increases locally, which may allow the import to be dispensed with by the end of this month.

In terms of exports, the movement has recorded a significant improvement, with about 15 refrigerators of citrus and vegetables exported daily to the Gulf countries, and about 5 refrigerators to Iraq.

Tightening control over meat shops

With the rise in the prices of red meat and its price fluctuating from one shop to another, and in a regulatory measure aimed at combating fraud and fraud, the Ministry of Economy and Industry has issued a new circular to tighten control over shops selling red and white meat.

The circular obliged shop owners not to mince meat in advance, and to limit the mincing process to the customer's request and in front of his eyes to ensure the safety and quality of the product.

The Ministry stressed the need to fully adhere to hygiene standards, with the need to clearly announce the type of meat (cow, sheep, or chicken) and its official price in a readable manner to the consumer.

It also called on the Directorates of Internal Trade and Consumer Protection to take the maximum legal penalties against violators, based on the provisions of Legislative Decree No. 8 of 2021, to ensure the control of cases of manipulation that harm public health and the purchasing power of citizens.