Tebboune Mandates Probe into Meat Prices, Brokerage Control
President Abdelmadjid Tebboune chaired a Council of Ministers meeting, issuing directives aimed at stabilizing market prices and protecting consumer purchasing power. The President notably ordered the Prime Minister to launch immediate investigations into imported meat price speculation and mandated the preparation of a new legal text for the strict regulation of market intermediaries.
The investigations into imported meat prices will specifically examine the role of certain importers accused of monopolizing and inflating prices, subsequently leading butchers to sell at rates comparable to local meat. Furthermore, the probe will address significant price disparities observed for imported meat across different provinces and even within neighborhoods. Concurrently, the directive for a draft regulatory text underscores the government's commitment to ensuring fair practices among brokers and other selling agents operating between producers and citizens.
These actions are part of a broader government strategy to enhance market oversight and responsiveness. President Tebboune tasked the Interior Minister, in coordination with governors, to establish a mechanism for purchasing and storing surplus local products. These reserves would then be released into the market upon early indicators of price changes, thereby supporting citizens' purchasing power.
Additionally, the Ministry of Internal Trade is charged with developing a system to cap prices and define profit margins for essential goods, including vegetables, legumes, pasta, and meat, with due consideration for production and marketing chains. Further measures include establishing a decentralized system for daily local price monitoring under the responsibility of governors, doubling the number of price control teams, intensifying year-round field visits, and creating a digital database for rapid and effective price oversight, designed to alert relevant authorities for intervention to rebalance prices in cases of unusual increases.
