Yamanat – Special
Types of dates have spread in the markets in Sanaa, the production history of which we have not yet reached.
According to the photos published by specifications expert Muhammad Al-Maliki of two types of dates on his Facebook page, the packaging shows that their production date is April 2024, while we are still in March 2024.
This raises questions about its suitability for human consumption..? How did you enter the country? What is the role of the regulatory authorities on the validity of goods? In addition to the role of the Ministry of Industry and Trade…?
Al-Maliki says that the price of these products is high compared to what is available in the markets, as their price reaches approximately $3, even though the weight of the package is less than a kilogram.
The Minister of Industry and Trade in Sanaa, Muhammad Al-Mutahhar, in his response to the report of Sheikh Sultan Al-Sami, which a parliamentary committee was formed to investigate, apologized to the House of Representatives last March for not setting the price of dates, even though the House obligated the government, represented by the Ministry of Industry and Trade, to set the prices of dates in March 2023, corresponding to Shaaban. 1444 AH. Date consumption is at its peak during the month of Ramadan following the month of Shaban. The minister did not justify his apology, which came a year after the council’s recommendations, despite the arrival of another Ramadan without his ministry setting date prices.
Al-Maliki believes that falsification of the production date means that the product is spoiled, harmful to health, and was packaged in an unhygienic manner, and from unreliable sources (basements, etc.).
Counterfeit and counterfeit products are widespread in the markets, which poses a threat to consumer health. This comes despite the fact that the House of Representatives obligated the Yemeni Authority for Standardization, Metrology and Quality Control in March 2023 to monitor and control counterfeit goods in the markets.
The expert Al-Maliki considered that everything that is happening is the result of non-implementation of the requirements of technical regulations and standard specifications, and the wrong and deliberate policies committed by the technical leaders appointed by the Minister of Industry and Trade, Muhammad Sharaf Al-Mutahhar, in violation of the law and the deliberate and targeted exclusion of competencies in the Yemeni Authority for Standardization, Metrology and Quality Control, as it is the concerned authority. Under the applicable laws, it is responsible for preserving consumer health.