Algeria’s commercial sector achieved an unprecedented milestone during the recent Eid al-Adha holiday, with consumer protection advocates praising the seamless execution of the national commercial duty system. The initiative ensured that essential goods and services remained uninterrupted across the country during the festive period.
Fadi Tamim, General Coordinator of the Algerian Association for Consumer Protection and Guidance (APOCE), confirmed that the holiday commercial roster has seen substantial qualitative improvements in recent years. This success is primarily driven by heightened civic awareness among local merchants, who increasingly view business licensing as a commitment to public service continuity.
A key factor in this year’s success was the ‘Marafek Com’ mobile application, developed by the Ministry of Internal Trade and National Market Regulation. The digital platform allowed citizens to effortlessly locate open bakeries, grocery stores, and pharmacies using geolocation. It also featured a feedback mechanism where users could report any designated business that failed to open, triggering rapid inspections from regulatory authorities.
Beyond basic retail, the national holiday roster successfully maintained operations across critical industrial sectors, including dairy processing plants, flour mills, and mineral water packaging facilities. Wholesale fruit and vegetable markets also operated consistently, stabilizing food supplies and preventing speculative price hikes.
Official data from the Ministry of Internal Trade revealed near-perfect compliance. Out of 53,711 merchants formally requisitioned to work during the Eid holiday, an impressive 53,701 fully respected their shifts, with only 10 infractions recorded nationwide. Additionally, numerous non-requisitioned neighborhood shops voluntarily opened their doors to serve their communities, illustrating a strong spirit of national solidarity.
This article is powered and original of DZWatch – Algeria’s Insight.
