Abu Dhabi Food Prices Rise 3.3% During Ramadan

Food prices in Abu Dhabi rose 3.3 per cent during the fourth week of Ramadan compared to the week preceding the holy month, according to official figures released by the Statistics Centre – Abu Dhabi (SCAD).

The increases were mainly noted in the prices of fish and seafood, which went up 9.6 per cent, vegetables, up seven per cent, meat– up 6.6 per cent and coffee, tea and cocoa, which rose six per cent.

However, the SCAD report found that food prices in the fourth week of Ramadan recorded a week-on-week drop of 0.1 per cent, according to official news agency WAM.

The price fall was mainly noted in fruits–down 1.3 per cent, and milk, cheese and eggs, down 0.8 per cent.

Prior to Ramadan, the UAE government had announced that severe action would be taken against traders who hiked the prices of food commodities during the month. Ministry officials also conducted raids on sales outlets across the country to ensure compliance.

In the July, the economy ministry also announced that the prices of 1,600 food items would be fixed at 340 outlets across the UAE until the end of the year to ensure that customers were not overcharged.