GAZA, (PIC)
Gaza Strip markets are witnessing a state of increasing disturbance in light of the absence of direct control over the movement of goods entering through the crossings, amidst warnings of the growth of the black market and the circulation of food commodities that do not conform to specifications or whose expiration date is near, which exacerbates the living and health burdens on the population.
Traders and specialists believe that not enabling the competent government authorities to supervise the crossings has contributed to the leakage of quantities of trucks into the black market, where goods are sold at prices that exceed their real value by many times, a matter which has created clear imbalances in the supply and demand system within local markets.
Concerns are not limited to the economic aspect, but extend to health aspects, in light of increasing complaints regarding the entry of food items and frozen foods whose expiration date is about to end or has already ended, in addition to goods around which controversy is raised regarding the extent of their compliance with approved health specifications.
Fears in the frozen food market
The seller of frozen foods in the Mawasi Khan Yunis area, south of the Gaza Strip, Jamal al-Hajj Saleh, says that the buying and selling movement has become linked to the quantities and types available in the markets more than its link to prices or expiration dates.
He explained, in a report published by Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, that some frozen foods that have one or two days left before their expiration are offered for sale at lower prices than others, adding that the problem is exacerbated in light of the absence of alternatives for traders and consumers.
He pointed out that the problem does not relate to the expiration date only, but extends to the quality of the offered products, pointing out that a part of the frozen meat and poultry circulated in the markets is considered of low quality, while it is sold at prices that sometimes exceed three times its original value.
From his side, an informed commercial source confirmed the existence of clear imbalances in the frozen food market, represented in the circulation of expired goods or those not conforming to specifications, alongside tampering with prices and weights.
He said that the black market has become an influential player in the trade movement inside the Strip, where some goods are sold at prices that far exceed official prices, as well as recording cases of tampering with weights as a result of not calibrating scales and inspecting them periodically.
He added that fears are also increasing regarding the quality of imported meat, explaining that the majority of the circulated meat is of the low-quality Brazilian type, and that its entry without sufficient inspections and control doubles the health risks to consumers.
Absence of control over the crossings
For his part, the Director General of Policies and Planning in the Ministry of National Economy in Gaza, Mohammad Barbakh, said that the ministry faces an Israeli refusal that prevents it from exercising direct control over the crossings, which reflects on its ability to inspect incoming goods and control quantities and types before they enter the markets.
He explained to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, that the ministry established inspection and control points on a number of main roads to follow up the movement of trucks and goods, confirming that these points succeeded in seizing many violations, but they cannot compensate for the absence of direct control over the crossings.
He added that attempts to bring in expired goods or those violating specifications are still ongoing, pointing out that the volume of goods that are destroyed monthly because of their violation of requirements reaches about 55 tons.
Barbakh confirmed that control teams also follow up files of tampering with invoices and prices, and were able to seize a number of violations and refer some traders to the Public Prosecution, while others were detained.
Observers warn that the continuation of this situation may lead to more confusion in local markets, whether through the rise of prices or the decline of the quality of commodities available to citizens.
Also, the weakness of control over incoming goods opens the way for monopolistic and exploitative practices that increase the suffering of the population who face difficult economic and humanitarian conditions, at a time when the need is increasing to tighten control and subject all incoming goods to the necessary inspections before putting them in the markets, so as to ensure consumer protection and reduce the expansion of the black market.