KUWAIT CITY, Sept 18: A price increase of up to 40 percent has been noted for products sold at Cooperative Societies compared to other supermarkets, reports Al-Shahed daily quoting reliable sources.

They cited an example of a particular juice brand, which is sold at KD 2.800 in Cooperative Societies while in other supermarkets it is sold at KD 1.500.

They further indicated that the price of a carton of water of a particular brand costs KD 1.350 at the Cooperative Societies but is sold at KD 0.850 at other supermarkets.

They added that the prices of vegetables are allotted based on the supplier’s mood and capability of convincing Cooperative Societies to sell for a price that is profitable for him. This has led to an unimaginable hike in the prices of vegetables without the knowledge or control of Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

Hiked
Furthermore, they revealed that the prices of family accessories have been hiked by 65 percent and since the Prices Committee does not control the prices, the trader does not hesitate to manipulate with the prices, adding that it is the customers who suffer because of this issue.

Meanwhile, sources revealed that the Cooperative Societies Union led a campaign against the hike in prices while at the same time they approved eight companies to increase the prices of certain products by 25 percent.

They further disclosed that the revenues the cooperative societies obtain from selling the products has decreased from 15 to 10 percent.