The Egyptian government will use all tools to expose traders who unjustifiably raise their prices during Ramdan, said Mohamed Abu Shadi, head of the internal trade sector at the Ministry of Trade. Stores of commodities are sufficient to satisfy local need for more than three months, said Abu Shadi. He added that these stores are monitored daily. Abu Shadi further added that the Ministry of Trade will solicit the help of the Consumer Protection Agency, commerce chambers, control authorities, and other bodies to control prices. According to Abu Shadi, the Ministry of Trade has coordinated efforts with commerce chambers to form markets to sell commodities at low prices during Ramadan. They are also examining the possibility of announcing the working hours of bakeries that make subsidized bread. Ragab el-Attar, a member of the board of directors of the Cairo Commerce Chamber, said the prices of Ramadan yameesh—a variety of nuts and other products imported mainly from Syria—have decreased an average of 5 percent from last year. Abdel Aziz el-Sayyed, head of the poultry sector at the chamber, said the price of poultry is likely to reach a new high this year due to an increase in the price of chicks and eggs. Abu Shadi said that his ministry has given strict instructions to speed up the distribution of imported products in Egypt in order to combat attempts by traders to unfairly raise the prices of poultry and red meat. Translated from the Arabic Edition.
