Consumers confirmed the presence of price increases in Brazilian and Australian meats, and fish in the local market, as well as an increase in the prices of canned foods such as tuna and beans.

They pointed out to «Emirates Today» the disappearance of special offers on meat and fish, and many commodities today, contrary to what consumers are accustomed to, at a time when officials of the outlets selling price increases attributed to the high demand, and the ban on fishing for some types of local fish previously, the cost of shipping, and restriction Some countries have their exports, in light of the measures that have been imposed after the outbreak of the Coruna virus.

Imported meat

In detail, consumer Nihad Mustafa said that the prices of Brazilian and Australian meats increased from 35 to 37 dirhams to currently between 42 and 45 dirhams per kilogram, and New Zealand meat prices increased from 46 to 54 dirhams per kilogram.

It also confirmed the increase in tilapia prices in two major outlets to 22.9 dirhams per kilogram, compared to its unchanged price of 15 dirhams.

She pointed to the disappearance of special offers on meat and fish, and many other commodities now, contrary to what consumers are used to.

For its part, the consumer, Shaza Al Anwar, said that she bought a kilogram of Australian lamb for 60 dirhams compared to 46 dirhams previously, while the prices of some types of beef ranged between 47 and 52 dirhams, compared to prices ranging between 35 and 38 dirhams previously.

She agreed with her counterpart on the disappearance of special offers on meat, stressing that higher prices are burdening consumers, given the current conditions and the approach of the holy month of Ramadan.

Tuna and beans

In the same context, consumer Ahmed Salem said that there is a general increase in the prices of fish and meat, as the prices of some types of fish increased from 28 to 48 dirhams per kilogram.

He pointed to the high prices of meat, to record the lowest type of 35 dirhams per kilogram, including Indian and Pakistani origin, despite the fact that the price did not exceed 25 dirhams previously, in which the price of a kilogram of minced meat ranges between 32 and 35 dirhams currently against prices that ranged between 25 and 27 dirhams previously .

Salem pointed out the high prices of canned foods, such as tuna and beans, between half a dirham and a dirham.

As for the consumer Inas Muhammad, she assured «Emirates Today» that she noticed an increase in the prices of some types of cheese from 45 dirhams to 54 dirhams per kilogram, in addition to the high prices of imported meat varieties between five and eight dirhams, and the disappearance of the offers of discounts on meat and cheese completely.

Fish prices

In addition, the consumer Ahmed Adel said that he had to buy imported fish, after he noticed that there were large increases in fish prices in general, and the disappearance of the local ones. In turn, the consumer, Samir Hassan, said that the sales outlets currently offer fish at very high prices, pointing to the high price of a kilogram of shrimp between 40 and 60 dirhams compared to prices ranging between 30 and 45 dirhams per kilogram, while the price of Norwegian salmon increased to between 50 and 55 dirhams per kilogram compared to At 45 dirhams previously.

As for the consumer, Mahmoud Ibrahim, he confirmed the existence of various increases in the prices of fish, including the imported "tilapia", whose prices had previously ranged between 16 and 18 dirhams per kilogram, and now ranges between 22 and 23 dirhams.

For his part, the sales official at a Abu Dhabi sales outlet, Idris Ibrahim, confirmed the existence of price increases on a number of imported goods, due to the high cost of shipping under the current circumstances, and the restriction of some countries' export operations, pointing out that the prohibition of fishing for some local fish raised Prices of some imported fish.

As for the official of one of the shipping companies, Yahya Mahmoud, he said that the price increases are not limited to the Emirati market only, due to the rise in prices in the countries of origin, as a result of the current circumstances that led to the lack of supply, as well as the high cost of shipping in varying proportions.

He stressed that some suppliers bear some of the costs, so as not to raise prices significantly, especially for meat.

Temporary increase

In turn, the director of sales at a retail shopping center, Dibal Shiron, said that the price increases for some fish varieties are temporary, due to the high demand during the last period, and the decrease in supply, which is being dealt with through agreement with supply companies to increase the quantities of import.

Ali Hassan, the sales official in the fish section of commercial centers, agreed that the fish price hikes are temporary and linked to the challenges of importing in large quantities during the recent period.

He expected prices to return to their previous levels, with local fishing available for species like "poetic" and "net", and pressure on imported species reduced.

Export restrictions

For his part, the director of the Consumer Protection Department at the Ministry of Economy, Dr. Hashem Al-Nuaimi, said that the issue of controlling prices is one of the priorities that the Ministry’s teams work, in cooperation with its partners in the local authorities, to ensure that they are controlled.

He stressed that the last period witnessed closures, violations and wholesale warnings of many outlets that raised the prices of food and non-food commodities.

Al-Naimi called on consumers to positively and send complaints to the ministry and economic circles in the case of raising prices to investigate them, and to know their true causes.

He pointed out that some of the countries from which the UAE imports imposed a curfew and restrictions on exports, which led to a rise in the prices of goods being supplied to all countries of the world and not only the UAE.

The Sea: Exploiting Increased Demand

The retail affairs expert, Ibrahim Al-Bahr, stressed the exaggeration in the prices of some commodities by some merchants, in order to achieve high profit margins, in order to take advantage of the increase in demand. He pointed out that this does not negate the high prices of freight and the effect of this on some imported goods, especially meat that is transported by air for the most part, pointing out that preventing the fishing of some local fish led to an increase in demand for imported varieties and raising their price.

Great consumer demand

The general manager of the Ajman Cooperative Market Association, Sami Muhammad Shaaban, attributed the high prices of fish in some outlets to the large consumer demand from shoppers, and the prohibition of hunting some of the former local species such as "poetic" and "net" fish, while permitting them to be finally caught from Before the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment. He expected prices to gradually return to their previous levels in the coming days.

Shaaban pointed to the existence of restrictions on the supply companies in general to prevent the increase in the prices of food commodities without official approval, which supported the stability of prices of food commodities in general recently, despite the high consumer demand.

Expectations of prices returning to their previous levels, with local availability of fish.