Algeria launches daily food price monitoring
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on TSA
Algerian Prime Minister Sifi Ghrieb has launched a national platform to monitor daily prices of widely consumed products. The government aims to tackle speculation, as potatoes have become difficult to find at the capped price of 90 dinars per kilogram, according to TSA.
Algerian Prime Minister Sifi Ghrieb warned on Thursday 5 November that the government would use “all means” against food speculation, during the launch of a national platform for daily price monitoring. He notably referred to “resistance to change” among some market players and said that protecting purchasing power was the government’s primary objective, reports TSA.
Potatoes had been difficult to find on the market for several days, while their retail price had been capped at 90 dinars per kilogram since the beginning of October. Sifi Ghrieb said farmers and traders could make profits, but in compliance with the rules and with transparency, according to TSA.
The launch of the platform comes as the government is also seeking to strengthen monitoring of everyday consumer products. The initiative follows Kaïs Saïed’s statement on the producer price of dates, published on 7 November, on agricultural prices in the region.
