Monitoring of essential commodities prices

The main function of the Office for Fair Competition is to ensure that the provisions of the Competition Act, 1994 are observed by all and that fair competition is taking place in the market.

One of the exercises which the OFC regularly carries out is the monitoring of the prices of a number of commodities which are considered essential or feature prominently in the housewife's shopping basket.

About 700 items including food items, detergents and toiletries are regularly monitored in various self-services stores, supermarkets and discount stores around Malta and Gozo. Apart from this, the Office also monitors the prices of medicines.

This is done to ensure that prices reflect fair competition in the market and the Office only intervenes when it suspects that a particular price might be unjustified as it could be the result of an anti-competitive practice or an abuse from a dominant position. In order to create more price consciousness amongst consumers and businessmen alike, the OFC will start publishing periodically the price range of a particular commodity.

It is felt that such information will create a more competitive market as the consumers will be in a better position to know about all the various brands and prices which are available in all the market and not only in their particular outlet or area. This price consciousness amongst consumers should also help to create fair competition between the various importers which should mainly be based on price, quality and efficiency and less on other considerations which might be making it difficult for the small importer to compete against a dominant one.

The first commodity to feature in this list will be pasta including macaroni, lasagne, tortellini andspaghetti. This list includes the various brands and weight of above pasta items. It also includes recommended prices and discounted prices as they resulted to this Office in a monitoring exercise carried out last week in various stores in Malta and Gozo.

The Office for Fair Competition will continue to monitor the market to ensure that it does not need to intervene in respect of any changes in prices which might occur from time to time and will update its data accordingly.

It must be pointed out that the publishing of these prices does not exonerate the respective importersetailers from their obligations under any other legislation presently in force.

Anybody wishing to obtain more information on these prices is invited to phone the Office for Fair Competition on freephone 0800 77 22 36.

Ezercizzju dwar il-Prezzijiet ta' prodotti essenzjali

Huwa d-dmir ta` l-Ufficcju tal-Kompetizzjoni Gusta li jizgura li d-dispozizzjonijiet ta` l-Att ta' l-1994 dwar il-Kompetizzjoni jkunu osservati minn kulhadd u jara li jkun hemm kompetizzjoni gusta fis-suq.

Wiehed mill-ezercizzji li jaghmel l-Ufficcju tal-Kompetizzjoni Gusta huwa li jsegwi regolarment il-prezzijiet ta' ghadd ta' prodotti li huma kkunsidrati essenzjali jew importanti fin-nefqa normali tal-mara tad-dar.

Il-prezz ta' madwar 700 prodott, li jinkludu affarijiet ta' l-ikel, trab jew likwidu tal-hasil u toiletries, jigu segwiti f'self service stores, supermarkets u discount stores kemm f'Malta kif ukoll f'Ghawdex. Barra minn dan, l-ufficcju jsegwi wkoll il-prezzijiet tal-medicini.

Dan l-ezercizzju jsir biex ikun zgurat li l-prezzijiet jirriflettu kompetizzjoni gusta fis-suq u l-Ufficcju jindahal biss meta jissuspetta li xi prezz partikulari jista' ma jkunx iggustifikat ghax ghandu mnejn ikun rizultat ta' xi prattika li qed ixekkel il-kompetizzjoni jew abbuz minn pozizzjoni dominanti. Biex kemm il-konsumatur kif ukoll il-kummercjant ikun izjed konxju tal-prezzijiet, l-Ufficcju tal-Kompetizzjoni Gusta se jibda, minn zmien ghal zmien, jippubblika prezzijiet ta' xi prodott partikolari.

Dan it-taghrif ghandu jghin biex johloq suq izjed kompetittiv billi l-konsumatur ikun f'qaghda ahjar li jkun jaf dwar il-marki varji u prezzijiet li jinsabu fis-suq kollu u mhux biss fil-hanut jew l-inhawi minn fejn issoltu jixtri. Dan ghandu jghin biex tinholoq kompetizzjoni gusta bejn diversi importaturi u li tkun ibbazata izjed fuq il-prezz, kwalita u efficjenza milli fuq kundizzjonijiet ohrajn li forsi jkunu qed jaghmluha difficli ghall-importatur iz-zghir li jikkompeti kontra wiehed kbir.

L-ewwel prodott li se jidher f'dan l-ezercizzju se jkun l-ghagin, li jinkludi mqarrun, lasagne, tortellini u spaghetti. Din il-lista tinkludi l-marki u l-uzin differenti ta' dawn il-prodotti ta' l-ghagin. Tinkludi wkoll il-prezzijiet li bihom il-prodotti qed ikunu rrakkomandati li jinbieghu, kif ukoll dawk imrahhsa kif irrizultaw lil dan l-Ufficcju, f'ezercizzju li sar il-gimgha l-ohra fi hwienet diversi madwar Malta u Ghawdex.

L-Ufficcju se jkompli jsegwi s-suq biex jizgura li ma jkollux ghalfejn jintervjeni minhabba xi caqliq fil-prezzijiet li jkun hemm minn zmien ghal zmien u se jzomm it-taghrif migbur aggornat.

Il-pubblikazzjoni ta' dawn il-prezzjiet ma tnehhix l-obbligazzjonijiet li l-importaturi jew il-bejjiegha jista' jkollhom taht ligijiet ohra.

Kull min jixtieq jakkwista izjed taghrif dwar dawn il-prezzijiet huwa mitlub jikkuntattja l-Ufficcju tal-Kompetizzjoni Gusta fuq freephone 0800772236.