Prices of food items increase

According to Khaleej times; Food prices are increasing during Ramadan, according to figures from the Statistics Centre-Abu Dhabi (SCAD).

The SCAD recorded a 0.3 per cent increase in the prices of food commodities during the third week of Ramadan compared with the second week due to rise in prices of some food groups including fruits (3.9 per cent), fish and seafood (2.7 per cent) and vegetables (0.9 per cent).

Meanwhile, some key groups showed a decrease in prices over the same period. Sugar, jam, honey, chocolate and confectionery fell by 1.3 per cent, followed by coffee, tea and cocoa by 1.1 per cent.  Meat was also down by 0.9 per cent.

Comparing with food prices in the first week of the holy month, SCAD noted an overall increase of 0.8 per cent during the third week.  Meat increased 4.3 per cent followed by sugar, jam, honey, chocolate and confectionery by 0.9 per cent. Oils and fats were also up by 0.7 per cent while mineral water, soft drinks, and fruit and vegetable juices were up by 0.5 per cent. The centre also reported a rise of 3.5 per cent in food prices during the third week compared with the week preceding Ramadan, reflecting an increase in the prices fish and seafood (8.2 per cent), meat (7 per cent), vegetables (6.3 per cent) and coffee, tea and cocoa (6 per cent).

According to the centre, the data was based on the studies of 308 food items that make up the ‘food and non-alcoholic beverages’ expenditure sub-group.

Price data are collected from sources selected through field visits by the inspection team. Sources were selected to ensure that they are representative of a broad segment of consumers in the city of Abu Dhabi during the month of Ramadan.