Amara Benyounes: Control of staple commodities prices goes primarily through big traders

Trade Minister, Amara Benyounes, attributed the recent price hike registered in some staple commodities on the Algerian market to the price set by supply and demand, but noted however a price slump compared with the previous year, adding that price controls go through commercial spaces run by small traders along with the stamping out of a wanton monopoly exerted on basic foodstuffs.

The trade Minister said in a statement Sunday to the national radio channel 3 that  the public authorities were urging for  the rationalization of public spending to counter the steady collapse in oil prices and to reduce imports while encouraging export promotion, particularly towards other African countries, which is Algeria’s natural propensity in terms of trade exchanges and exports.

Mr Amara Benyounes also affirmed that the volume of Algeria’s overall imports was estimated at 60 billion dollars annually, with a third of this enormous financial package being earmarked for fittings and one third for raw materials and another one-third for consumer goods, while stressing in this connection, that up to 9 billion dollars were being devoted to the import of basic commodities on a yearly basis.

A nationwide awareness-raising campaign to encourage the consumption of locally produced goods will be launched in the coming weeks, Amara Benyounès futher indicated.

This large-scale operation, which will involve the public authorities, representatives of traders and consumers, will be geared towards “reassuring the Algerian consumers on the local products’ quality,” he said.

“We want to convince the Algerians that by buying local products, they help rejuvenate national enterprises and thus spur the creation of wealth and employment positions in the country, while by buying imported products they shore up overseas companies”, the minister underlined.