Page 31 - MOE ENGLISH PR REPORT - FEBRUARY 2025 Part 1

Press Release

methods, strengthen market transparency, improve cooperation between the Ministry and local
authorities, and guarantee fair competition between suppliers and retailers.

He stated, “The Ministry and its partners took a significant step to strengthen regulatory control
by launching ‘National Digital Platform for Commodity Price Monitoring.’ The platform enables
tracking of commodities’ prices in real time across major retail shops and cooperative societies
across the country. To ensure fair price comparison and compliance verification against the
Ministry’s defined pricing cap, it provides Ministry officials and relevant local entities with real-
time data on the costs of essential products across various regions. This protects customers against
unauthorised price hikes or commercial exploitation, further ensuring the seamless implementation
of the government’s pricing regulations.”

Intensive regulatory efforts to monitor markets during the holy month of Ramadan

During his speech, Darwish stated that 8,388 violations were identified during in 80,249 inspection
trips that Ministry teams and departments of economic development conducted nationwide in
2024. In January and February of 2025, the Ministry’s team also took 768 inspection tours and 420
more rounds are planned for the holy month of Ramadan. This action guarantees that retailers
comply with pricing policies and avoid making irrational price increases in response to seasonal
demand.

Darwish further added that in order to guarantee the availability of products and adherence with
new pricing policies for essential products, the Minister held meetings with over 60 major retail
stores nationwide during 2024 and the beginning of 2025. He further highlighted that Abu Dhabi
merchants import more than 6,000 tonnes of fruits and vegetables daily, while the Al Aweer
Central Fruits and Vegetables Market in Dubai imports at least 15,000 tonnes. This reflects a
commitment to securing food supplies in local markets and ensuring their sustainability during
peak seasons, especially during the holy month of Ramadan.

Large-scale Discount Campaigns to Support Consumers during the Holy Month
To enhance the purchasing power of consumers, Darwish stated that product and item discounts
have increased to about 65 per cent. This includes 5,500 products at major retail stores with
branches across all emirates, for a total of over 600 major retail stores. Over 10,000 products were
included in the promotional offers for Ramadan 2025, with the total value of these discounts at a
cooperative society standing at AED 35 million.