Citizens seek Ministry intervention as prices of Safi fish rise to an ‘insane level’

NT Bureau

Doha: Many citizens sought the intervention of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry after fish prices shot through the roof in the local market, with the price of a kilogram of popular Safi fish even touching QR100 for the first time in some places, exceeding the price of a kilo of meat by double, Al Sharq daily reports.

The citizens called for the Ministry to put an end to the violations and exploitative practices of some fish traders, taking advantage of adverse weather conditions which affect fish catch.

Many said they were surprised by the insane rise in the prices of Safi. 

Prices of other kinds of fish too rose in the market. Safi is a favourite of citizens and many prefer it over other types of fish, especially on Fridays, the report said.

An Al Sharq reporter who visited the Umm Salal fish market said that prices had risen to a level never heard before, in the absence of supervision and intervention of the concerned authorities, and prices continued to rise until Sunday without any convincing justifications.

Citizens called on the regulatory authorities to quickly intervene and stop the exploitation to which the consumer is exposed, in light of the absence of the role of the regulatory and concerned authorities, noting that they never expected the price of a kilogram of Safi to reach 100 riyals in the markets and shops.

Some called for refraining from buying this fish until prices returned to normal levels, stressing that fish traders buy from daily auctions at very cheap prices and then sell them by the kilo at ridiculous prices to consumers.

Some traders in the fish market resorted to concealing the real prices of Safi in order to escape questions from consumers who deplored the prices reaching an unbelievable level.