Dubai/Abu Dhabi/ Fujairah: The increase in the price of basic commodities has added to the difficulty of making ends meet for many residents.

Hossam Hassan, an Ajman resident, said the burden was getting heavier every day .

"I have five children and I only earn around Dh5,000. Food was the only thing you were not worried about but now the situation is different."

Rachel Mousell, a Dubai resident, said there was around a 20 per cent increase in the commodities she usually buys.

"What can you do? You still need to buy food, but I think the authorities should intervene to stabilise the prices of basic commodities."

Rashid Khodor, an Abu Dhabi resident, said everything is getting more expensive.

"I noticed there's no regulation of the prices. Therefore supermarkets tend to increase their prices regularly," he said.

Ahmad Al Bitar, an Abu Dhabi resident, said he had noticed an increase in the price of certain types of food.

"However, the slight increase ...is not affecting me and my small family. I guess it affects bigger families," he added.

Osama Salim, from Syria, said he has not felt any increase in prices recently.

"I felt the increase only a few months back. Now the prices still haven't changed. What I noticed is that local products, especially dairy, have increased by around 30 per cent. I used to buy one kilo of yogurt for Dh5, now I pay Dh7," he said.

Monica Manai, a flight attendant from Romania, said everything is expensive.

"I've been here for a year and I haven't seen any increase in price. The problem is that everything is already expensive," she said.

Abdul Hamid Khalil, a Fujairah resident, feels prices this year have gone up considerably compared to last year. He says the way he is dealing with the increases is to have a tighter budget and make more economical purchases. He like many other consumers, feels meat products are increasingly becoming out of reach.

"Beef and mutton which we used to buy for Dh10 and Dh12 a kilo has now gone up to Dh25," he said.

Mohammad Husain Mohammad, a customer at Fujairah's fruits and vegetable market, is unimpressed by the fluctuating prices.

"A few days ago the price of a box of oranges was Dh17 to Dh18, now I ask and it's gone up to Dh22....these traders just do what they want," he said.

Ali Abdul Hussain, 42, a Iraqi real estate agent in Fujairah said rising living expenses were becoming a real problem for many expatriates.

"We're caught between a rock and hard place, from one side the wages are very low, and are not increasing, and on the other side everything is getting more expensive.

"Almost everything is rising in cost now, fresh food items and especially meat products."

Egyptian Ahmad Marzooq, 33, a foreman, said: "Even though we live in Fujairah, which is supposed to be less expensive, we are seeing costs go up in rents and food, everything now seems expensive. The main problem is that expenses are rising faster than wages. If we see an improvement in wages then maybe we can tolerate the rising living expenses."

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Close look
Family basics have seen an overall increase of around eight per cent over the last 10 months.
Cooperatives (prices) Supermarkets (prices)
Product April 17 06-February 26 -07 April 17 06-February 26-07
Tea 1 kg 21.5
^
 25 24
^
 27.8
Instant Coffee 200gr 22.75
V
 19.75 23.1
V
 22.8
Eggs, 30 egg tray 12.5
--
 12.5 12.15
^
 12.3
Fruit Juice, 8 boxes 6.65
^
 7.5 7.5
--
 7.5
Milk 2L 9
--
 9 9
--
 9
Basmati rice, 5kg (Pakistani) 14.45
^
 17.75 14.2
^
 15
Lamb, 1kg (Australian) 22
^
 27 20.9
^
 34.9
Whole Chicken 11.5
V
 10.5 6.1
^
 10.35
Potatoes, 1kg 1.95
^
 2.6 1.75
^
 1.9
Tomatoes, 1kg 1.95
^
 2.25 2.25
^
 2.4
Cucumber, 1kg 2.25
V
 1.4 2.95
V
 1.15
Lettuce, 1kg 3.95
^
 4.75 5.95
V
 3.85
Onions, 1kg 1.15
^
 1.2 1.2
^
 1.9
Cauliflower, 1kg 3.95
^
 5.25 4.1
^
 6.95
Apples, 1kg 4.45
^
 6.9 5.25
^
 5.95
Oranges, 1kg 2.35
^
 3.5 3.95
--
 3.95
Bananas, 1kg 2.95
^
 3.2 2.45
V
 1.95
Toilet Paper, 10 rolls 10.5
^
 11.95 3.35
^
 12.5
Toilet Cleaner, 750 ml 7.25
^
 9.25 6.9
^
 9.25
Washing Powder, 2.5kg 12.85
?
 11.75 12.85
^
 13.5
Dishwashing Liquid, 750ml 7.6
^
 7.8 7.5
V
 6.65
Sugar, 2kg 3.5
--
 3.5 1.98
^
 3.7
Vegetable Oil, 2L 14.2
V
 12.35 14.2
V
 10.85
Pads, 30pc 11
--
 11 10.55
^
 11
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