Minister of Local Development Hesham Amna and Cairo Governor Khaled Abdel Aal inspected Wednesday the Obour Market to follow up on the availability of fruits and vegetables and the traders’ adherence to indicative prices.
At the beginning of their tour, Amna and Abdel Aal held a meeting with some of the market’s fruit, vegetable, and fish traders to discuss the mechanisms for price control in the market, given it is Cairo’s largest wholesale market to serve the interest of the citizens and provide goods at affordable prices.
For their part, the traders of the Obour Market asserted their support for initiatives launched by the state to ease the burdens on citizens and reduce commodity prices, adding that the prices of vegetables and fruits have recently witnessed a decrease ranging from 25% to 40%, including tomatoes, onions, potatoes, and fruits. "We are partners with the Egyptian state, under the leadership of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, to control prices, especially regarding fruits, vegetables, fish, and frozen meat," the traders said.
Minister Amna stressed the importance of the roles of wholesale markets in all governorates in providing goods to citizens at reduced prices and creating price balance to ensure that vegetables and fruits are sold to retailers at affordable prices that align with the actual prices of goods in wholesale markets.
Amna also praised the role of wholesale traders in the Obour market in supporting the state's initiatives and efforts, especially the initiative launched by Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouli to reduce the prices of strategic commodities, which started last Saturday.
Moreover, Amna urged the traders to continue their crucial and national role in alleviating the burden on citizens regarding the prices of daily goods they need, adding that their role is patriotic and significant to support government initiatives.
Minister Amna also assured the availability of essential goods in the markets at affordable prices in line with the initiative launched by the prime minister, stressing the government's keenness to make all possible efforts to provide strategic commodities, food products, fruits, and vegetables at reduced prices for citizens to ease burdens on neediest and low- income families following the directives of the President Sisi.
On the other hand, Cairo Governor Khaled Abdel Aal emphasized that all state is working to implement the directives of political leadership to increase supply and reduce prices to create balance in the market and confront unjustified price increase. He added that the rapid measures taken by the state to control price hikes have contributed greatly to stabilizing goods prices in the market.
Abdel Aal furthermore stressed the importance of the role of traders in balancing the prices of fruits and vegetables and contributing to reducing prices to serve the interest of citizens, adding that the prices of vegetables and fruits have witnessed a decrease ranging from 30% to 40% in the market since the start of the initiative.
Abdel Aal also assured the availability of all goods and food products in Cairo’s markets, fairs, and outlets launched by the Cairo governorate across the capital in coordination with the private sector to provide all strategic commodities and citizen needs at affordable prices, asserting that all executive bodies of Cairo governorate are intensifying inspection campaigns to tighten control over markets to counter any monopoly or price gouging.
Source: Media Department, Cairo Governorate
