Consumers have sought the help of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry to rein in the skyrocketing prices of baby milk, Nido milk powder and diapers which shot up by more than 25 percent. The price of Nido powdered milk has increased from SR72 to about SR80 and prices of diapers have jumped from SR66 to SR76. Salman Al-Harithy, a consumer, said it is a high time the print media highlights the unjustifiable increase in prices and the greed for profits during peak seasons such as Ramadan. He asked when the ministry will benefit from the appointment of the 500 inspectors ordered by King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, to tighten control over the market. He said consumers should boycott stores to compel merchants to return to the old prices. Customers should also start using alternative commodities to break the monopoly of some importers. Okaz/Saudi Gazette visited some pharmacies in Riyadh to check what was happening and found a number of angry consumers. Most consumers asked for alternative products or for cheaper prices. Meanwhile, in a survey carried out in Taif, consumers have bitterly complained about the high cost of food and clothes. The survey was conducted in some malls in Taif and Tarbah and the findings were submitted to the branch of the Ministry of Commerce in Taif but no action seems to have been taken by the authorities. Muhammad Saad, a Taif citizen, said hard times are ahead for families. “In Ramadan, prices will further go up poking a hole in our pockets and then there will be Eid Al-Fitr. It will be followed by the new school year when we have to buy lots of things,” he said. Saad wondered what action the Price Control and Anti-Fraud Commission has been taking to monitor the business activities of the greedy merchants to prevent them from harassing the consumers. __
