New Price Cap System Mandated for Essential Goods
President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has ordered a series of immediate measures to closely monitor the prices and availability of essential consumer goods across the nation. These directives, issued during a cabinet meeting chaired by the President, aim to stabilize market prices and protect the purchasing power of Algerian citizens against undue fluctuations and speculation. The comprehensive plan addresses various aspects of the supply chain and market oversight.
Among the mandated actions, President Tebboune called for the urgent preparation of a draft text to strictly regulate the activities of sales intermediaries operating between producers and consumers. Furthermore, the Prime Minister has been tasked with launching an immediate investigation into the potential negative role of certain importers in monopolizing and inflating the prices of imported meats. This probe will also examine instances where imported meats are sold at prices comparable to local meat, and investigate price disparities observed in butcher shops across different states and even within individual neighborhoods.
To strengthen price control, the Ministry of Internal Trade is directed to develop a system for capping prices and defining profit margins for key staples including vegetables, legumes, pasta, and various meats, while considering their respective production and marketing chains. A decentralized system will also be established, entrusting trade directors under state governors with daily local monitoring of widely consumed goods prices. In a significant move, the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Internal Trade, and the Digitalization Department will coordinate to create a digital database. This database will facilitate rapid and effective price control, functioning as an alert mechanism to enable timely intervention by relevant services to restore balance to commodity prices in cases of unusual increases. Additionally, price control teams affiliated with the Ministry of Internal Trade will be doubled, ensuring continuous daily field operations throughout the year.
