The Ministry of Commerce and Industry said the Ministry of Commerce will address the Ministry of Finance to increase the annual budget allocation in support of food and construction materials.
An official source said this comes in line with the steady global rise in the prices of food commodities and construction materials in general, expecting at the same time the volume of spending to rise by the end of this year by more than 50%, against the background of the significant increase in the prices of goods and products, transportation, shipping and warehousing, reports a local Arabic daily.
The source added, “Within the framework of the role played by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry to secure the basic needs of food and construction materials, and after Minister of Commerce and Industry Fahd Al-Shariaan confirmed that the government bears the difference in prices of food supplies, the need has become urgent to increase the budget so that the Ministry can perform its role in providing subsidized goods and basic needs at the ‘old’ prices without burdening the citizen.
The Minister confirmed that the citizen will not feel any increase in the prices of construction and subsidized food supplies, as the government will bear the price difference resulting from the increase in the cost of shipping or others, in light of the repercussions of the Russian-Ukrainian war, and that there is a strategic plan to ensure the flow of goods and foodstuffs and bring stability to their prices.
It is worth noting that the total value of the disbursed support for many food items provided by the Ministry of Commerce to citizens through the ration card was about 225 million dinars during 2021, which included ration food — (basmati rice, vegetable oil, frozen chicken, tomato paste, sugar, powdered milk, flour and lentils), as well as construction materials such as cement, iron, bricks, air-conditioning support, concrete, sanitary kits, electrical wires, ceramics and porcelain, and external cladding support for construction and restoration.