Retailers in the UAE face penalties of up to Dh100,000 if they breach Ramadan price controls on essential goods. The Ministry of Economy and Tourism (MoET) confirmed a scale of actions, from written warnings and short deadlines to fix breaches, to fines starting at Dh500 and rising to Dh100,000. In severe or repeated cases, temporary closure may follow. The update came at a media briefing on Wednesday, February 11.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri said some sellers attempted to lift prices by passing false information between suppliers and outlets. He warned that enforcement will intensify through Ramadan to keep prices stable unless prior approval is granted. The ministry stressed that any increase without approval violates the policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The pricing policy took effect in January 2025. It blocks unjustified hikes on nine essential categories: eggs, poultry, cooking oils, sugar, dairy, legumes, bread, wheat, and rice. Retailers may apply for increases, but only with ministry approval. A six-month cooling-off period applies between approved requests to prevent serial hikes. A \u201cprice ceiling\u201d is the maximum allowed price for a good under the policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The ministry logged 3,167 complaints and 7,702 violations linked to price hikes last year. Officials said 93.9% of complaints were resolved in about four days on average. Inspectors carried out 155,218 tours with municipalities to check price labels, product quality, and any fraud or trademark breaches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
MoET\u2019s digital system tracks prices at 627 major retail outlets\u2014over 90% of domestic trade volume in essential goods. The platform ingests price lists, compares them to references, and flags anomalies for action. A \u201cdigital price monitoring system\u201d is a government platform that collects and analyses live price data from retailers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The controls aim to shield household budgets during a high-demand month while keeping fair competition in place. For retailers, clear rules reduce disputes and set predictable review windows for justified cost pass-throughs. The framework also aligns with broader consumer-protection efforts launched alongside the 2025 decrees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Consumers can file complaints via the ministry\u2019s website or contact centres. Provide the product, outlet name, listed price, and any proof such as receipts or photos. Retailers should keep approvals on file, publish clear labels, and update systems when approvals lapse. MoET said inspections will continue throughout Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The UAE entered Ramadan with firm oversight, clear penalties, and near-universal coverage through real-time monitoring. With 627 outlets linked and a six-month gap between approvals, authorities expect steadier prices across the nine essential categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Retailers in the UAE face penalties of up to Dh100,000 if they breach Ramadan price controls on essential goods. The Ministry of Economy and Tourism (MoET) confirmed a scale of actions, from written warnings and short deadlines to fix breaches, to fines starting at Dh500 and rising to Dh100,000. In severe or repeated cases, temporary […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":3475,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3474","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-5"],"blocksy_meta":[],"yoast_head":"\n