President Tebboune Orders Wholesale Trade Reorganization for Price Stability

President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has issued measures designed to regulate the prices and ensure the consistent availability of basic consumer goods, centering on a significant reorganization of wholesale trade. This initiative involves the creation of specialized commercial hubs, which will operate under strict oversight. These new centers are intended to provide a comprehensive framework for tracking goods, managing inventory, and monitoring financial transactions and sales paths, from initial producers and importers directly to consumers. Such a system aims to enhance market transparency and reduce the influence of speculative practices and unnecessary intermediaries.

The proposed specialized hubs are envisioned to consolidate trade operations, addressing the challenges posed by the current fragmented market structure, where scattered warehouses and numerous selling points hinder effective oversight. Experts and professionals have previously conceptualized these large markets, suggesting expansive areas along major road networks. Each facility would feature substantial shop capacities, dedicated spaces for food items and home appliances, cooling facilities, banking services with electronic payment systems, and permanent quality control structures. This integrated approach will streamline the monitoring of goods and commercial transactions, providing precise data on market inflows and outflows, supply sources, and distribution beneficiaries.

Beyond tracking, these hubs are crucial for identifying market imbalances, whether originating from price increases at production or import, inflated profit margins during intermediation, or the withholding of goods from regular supply channels. The The system will also bolster presidential directives concerning the regulation of intermediaries, requiring their identification, thorough qualification investigations, and the capping of their prices and profit margins. A digital database will facilitate daily monitoring of their activities across various sectors, from fresh produce to essential commodities. Furthermore, the initiative is expected to support mechanisms for purchasing and storing local production surpluses, to be released when price hikes are detected, thereby ensuring stability and protecting citizens' purchasing power.