Importers Agree to Price Freeze on Livestock During Ramadan

Sheep for Feast of Eid al Fitr

A spokesman for Al Batina Livestock, a leading importer of Australian livestock into Oman, announced that his company will adhere to the request of the government to refrain from any price hikes during the holy month of Ramadan.

The Sultanate is working hard to keep food prices during Ramadan under control, and a key element in stable prices is a price freeze on the cost of meat. Al Batna has agreed to maintain their prices at the present level until at least after the Eid al Fitr holiday.

"We agreed to cap our prices at last year's retail selling price of RO 90 per head of Australian sheep as a gesture of support for the government's efforts to rein in food prices during Ramadan," the representative said.

Xpress Money Offering Lower Fees to Expat Indians

Xpress Money Offering Flat Fee to Expat Indians in Oman

In honor of the festive month of Ramadan, Xpress Money, a company that facilitates cash transfers overseas, will be lowering their service fee to the flat amount of 1.70 Omani Rial ($4.40) for transfers of any denomination made to India during the Holy month.

Xpress Money is one of the world’s fastest growing cash transfer service companies, and this new flat fee is considered to be the most competitive among the other remittance service providers in Oman.

"The Holy Month of Ramadan is very special to us and we are happy to launch this special promotion which will be of great value to our customers. This initiative falls in line with our commitment to provide affordable and easily accessible money transfer services" said Mr. Sudhesh Giriyan, the chief of Xpress Money.

"India is a critical market for us. Apart from being one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, it is also the largest 'receive' market globally, with inward remittances upwards of USD 64 billion in 2011. Since it is such a high volume market, we are tapping into the efficiencies of scale that our extensive networks in Oman and India can generate and passing on the savings to our customers" Giriyan added.

Prices to Remain Steady in Oman During Ramadan

Consumers in Oman

Oman’s Public Authority for Consumer Protection (PACP) is working together with the Ministry of Commerce to assure the public that there will not be any precipitous price rises in food staples and other necessary items as a result of the coming Ramadan season.

Despite the fact that consumers tend to spend more during Ramadan, the PACP is going to monitor retailers carefully so that they do not engage in price manipulation or in any other form of price gauging during a time when it would be easy to take advantage of a public which is engaged in observing the holiday.

"The prices of essential commodities have been somewhat constant since the beginning of this year, and will continue to be so throughout Ramadan. We have received all the assurances from suppliers regarding this. No malpractice of any sort will be tolerated, and consumers have the right to report them to us. Offenders will be dealt with as per the law," one official of the PACP declared.

It has been common practice in the past for such items as flour, bread, sugar, rice, vegetables, fruit, chicken, beef, mutton and eggs to rise parallel to the increased demand during Ramadan. This year, however, the traders in these goods stocked up adequate supplies to meet increased demand.

"We have enough stocks of all commodities to meet the projected demand. We don't find any reason to hike the prices," says Ananth A V, Country Manager, Lulu Hypermarket. “Any rise in the prices at the sources of imports, it will not affect us. At any cost we will maintain status quo on the prices."

"Despite increased demand, we expect the prices of staple food to remain at the present level. We also have a mechanism to prevent any rise," he says.

"There is good flow of vegetables from local producers without much fluctuation in the prices. Often what happens is that retailers do not buy directly from them. The supply chain is well exploited by the middlemen. They charge exorbitantly before the commodities reach the consumers," said Naveej Vinod, the Executive Director of Mars Hypermarket.

Mitsubishi Oman Creates Family Atmosphere in Showroom During Ramadan

Ramadan is drawing to a close, and as it does, the staff at Mitsubishi Oman is reflecting on the “family” atmosphere which the company created during the holy month.

Away From Real Families

Due to the later evening hours that the staff was required to work during the month of Ramadan, employees spent more hours than usual away from their families. But this was not as large a problem has it could have been, considering that employees working at the Muscat Mitsubishi showroom felt that they were together with their “second” family during the special time of year.

The three employees at the the showroom explained that Ramadan is the busiest time of year for selling cars in Oman, and the work load and customer interfacing are stressful, but because of the positive and upbeat attitude of the co-workers, it was enjoyable to explain the special qualities which Mitsubishi cars and SUVs exhibit.

One of the staff, Waleed Al Hosni explained:

“The great team we have here at Mitsubishi makes me feel that I am with my family whether it is in or out of Ramadan and that compensates a great deal for being away from your family in the evenings during this time of year.

“And even though the showroom is much busier we really enjoy the work and do not feel we are working harder than at other times of year. As a team I also feel that we work even closer together as we are all sharing the spirit of Ramadan at this special time of year.”

Manager Pleased with Staff, Too

General Manager of Mitsubishi Oman, Mark Tomlinson commented on the strong commitment and great enthusiasm that his staff exhibited during Ramadan:

“Every year I am delighted by the response of our staff to working the evening shift in particular until Midnight and the enthusiasm and commitment of all our staff – especially the many Omanis who are working in the showroom and dealing with our customers during what is the busiest time of the year.

“As Eid approaches I would like to thank all of our staff across Mitsubishi Oman for their tremendous support and hard work in helping to make Ramadan a great success once again.”