Bahrain - The Industry and Commerce Ministry has said that it will continue to protect Bahrain’s consumers from fraudulent practices and ensure a fair and transparent marketplace.

Its Consumer Protection Directorate plays a major role in safeguarding the rights and interests of consumers, the ministry said.

It told our sister paper Akhbar Al Khaleej that consumers, citizens or residents, can contact the directorate 24 hours a day, seven days a week on any of the official contact channels to report complaints.

In an investigative report on price rise, Akhbar Al Khaleej talked to people in the Manama Suq, the ministry and traders.

Many international and regional geopolitical factors have affected the world prices of many commodities resulting in higher prices for food and other products in Bahrain, it said. The rise in prices is a matter of public concern, for it directly affects the standard of living of citizens.

Citizens were unanimous in calling for tightening control over the markets in order to prevent price manipulation, it found. To help families to cope with the higher costs of living, they also called for an increase in salaries and the reinstatement of the annual increment on the wages of pensioners.

The ministry said it received 3,555 complaints during the first six months of this year. It pointed out that it licenses and monitors promotion campaigns to ensure that they are fair and genuine, and issued 3,758 such licences during the same period.

A number of MPs said that Parliament would pay closer attention to the high prices in the coming session. The problem is however an international one and not just in Bahrain.

Traders stressed that the increase in prices is a global phenomenon and that Bahraini businessmen are subjected to the same factors that lead to such increases, especially in the prices of foodstuffs. These include fluctuations in global supply and demand, geopolitical tensions and the cost of export and shipping that have increased significantly during last year.

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