The government stands its ground on trade sabotage

The government has announced that it will take decisive measure on those who may try to engage on trade sabotage in relation with the current situation in the country.
Ministry of Trade and Industry (MoTI) has disclosed that a taskforce has been established in every region up to Wereda level to control and evaluate the market activity.
Eshete Asfaw, State Minister of MoTI, disclosed that every evening the regions are reporting their daily report on the overview of the market activity in every corner of the country.
He recalled that since COVID 19 occurred in the country the government has been taking strong measures to stabilize the market. The government has taken different level of measures on more than 72,000 traders.
Similarly, in the first quarter of the budget year, different administrational and other strong measures including revoking a license and filed cases to the court have been endowed on more than 13,000 illegal actors.
He said that in the latest development there is a trend on hording products mostly basic needs, ganging up for price increment by group and dropping productivity. “We have taken different measures on this acts and some of the matters have been solved amicably,” he told Capital.
“In these regard there are water bottlers and other factories involved in underproduction and price increment on their production that is controlled by the government,” he remanded the latest attempt occurred in the market.
He added that in collaboration with illegal middlemen there were attempt to increase price on cereals that the government enabled to tackle.
Different market sources including those that evaluate the situation at Merkato, the biggest market center in the country, informed Capital that due to the latest situation artificial price hike has been observed not only at the market places but at industries.
One of the sources that Capital interviewed witnessed that since the government commenced offensive attack at the northern part of the country, that is, immediately after the TPLF forces surprise attack on Ethiopian Defense Force, some industries like food processing plants were found to deliberately slow down their daily sales and preferred to hoard the product at their warehouse.
“On one of the industry, who produce soybean products, that I know and located at Lege Tafo the company preferred to sale very limited amount of product on its daily basis,” one of the sources said.
He argued that the product has huge demand and there is scarcity in the market, while the company has huge stoke at its warehouse.
“Besides slow downing the daily sales the company has increased its price in this past week without any reason,” he added.
Some sources said that some are the traders may have relation with the illegal group of gangs that the government labeled as ‘Junta’ under TPLF.
Eshete said that there are attempts to use the opportunity from some traders but the government is closely following the situation in every region and the capital.
“We are also taking measures on those who tried to abuse the circumstance for instance today (Friday November 13) the Addis Ababa City have taken measures on those who tried to go illegally,” he added.
“We prefer to create awareness and now we do that but if anyone attempts to sabotage on the market the government will never forgive,” the State Minister added.