The Government expanded the list of essential goods to ensure an uninterrupted supply of products to the public, rather than to compete with small businesses, Minister of Economic Development, Transport and Trade Mohamed Saeed said.
Speaking during the eighth edition of the Ahaa Forum, organised jointly by the President's Office and Public Service Media (PSM), Minister Saeed noted that essential food items remain readily available in the Maldives.
Minister Saeed said President Dr Mohamed Muizzu assumed office at a time when the Maldives faced a large inherited debt. He said the Government has also had to confront several challenges, including the ongoing war in the Gulf and the dollar shortage facing the Maldives.
Despite these challenges, Minister Saeed said the Government has given particular priority to managing the situation without placing the burden on the public. For this reason, the Government revised the essential goods list and introduced measures to prevent shortages in the market and ensure a continuous supply of these products to the public.
"The President particularly wanted the Government to ensure that certain categories of products are easily available to the public at the best possible prices, rather than directly competing with businesses over individual products," Minister Saeed said. "This is not about competing with individual small businesses. When those competing with us raise these issues and the matter is viewed from that perspective, it creates considerable misunderstanding."
Minister Saeed said the State Trading Organisation (STO) supplies 10 types of vegetables, 10 types of fruit and six additional types of food products to the market at the best prices available at the time.
He said the essential goods list previously contained 26 types of products, but the Government continues to review the list. It has now expanded to a total of 80 types of products, which the Government continues to monitor.
Explaining the expansion, Minister Saeed said the category that previously contained 10 types of vegetables now includes 20, while the addition of another 10 types of fruit has brought the fruit category to 20. The list also contains 37 types of other products, including items needed by young children and older people, as well as three types of non-food items.
Referring to efforts to provide these products to the public at affordable prices, Minister Saeed said STO outlets in Malé and the atolls make them available at both wholesale and retail levels at favourable prices based on prevailing market conditions. He added that the public can use the AguMagu portal at any time to check which shops offer these products at lower prices.