Inter-ministerial council: Normalizing situation for basic food items

ALGIERS – The prices of mass-consumption food products, some of which are government-subsidized, will be on the agenda of an inter-ministerial council Saturday, which should pave the way for concrete and urgent solutions to the situation prevailing in trade sector. According to Trade Minister Mustapha Benbada, the meeting would mainly look at laws related to competition and commercial practice and the definition of profit margins concerning basic food items. A joint working team made up of ministry officials and producers of mass-market products, including oil and sugar, was installed on Thursday. The team's mission is to contribute to setting new regulations on trade activity, Benbada said.