The Ministry of Industry issues a clarification statement regarding the ban on the entry of white sugar for violating Gulf specifications

Today, Friday, the Ministry of Industry and Trade in the interim capital, Aden, issued a clarification statement regarding what was circulated about the ministry preventing the entry of white Brazilian sugar that violates specifications, standards and health requirements.

The ministry said in a statement published on its social media page that it, "through its departments and technical bodies, is the body legally authorized to supervise and regulate everything related to commercial and investment activity in the country."

It stressed that it "takes into account the interests of the national economy, citizens, consumer health and safety, market stability, and ensuring the flow of good goods and services that comply with specifications and standards, in a manner that prevents monopoly, exploitation, or harm to the economy, consumer, and environment."

She pointed out that "the standardization, approval, amendment and review of specifications and standards by the Yemeni Authority for Standardization, Metrology and Quality Control is a technical procedure subject to scientific and technical studies, and is not a random matter or an administrative decision subject to the whims and interests of the relevant parties."

She said that these procedures "take into consideration, in a fundamental way, the health, safety and security of products, the interest of the consumer, and adherence to the approved Gulf specifications, considering that the Yemeni Authority for Standardization, Metrology and Quality Control is a member of the Standardization Authority of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, and taking into account the specifications and requirements issued by the relevant international and UN organizations."

The Ministry confirmed that based on what was mentioned, and the inspection and conformity reports issued by the Yemeni Authority for Standardization, Metrology and Quality Control, the sugar products that were banned from entering the country (which some people defend) are all products that violate the standard specifications for refined sugar for final consumption, due to the white color exceeding 60 degrees and may reach 150 degrees of color, as products that fall under manufactured sugar for the processing industries.

She pointed out that "traders and importers of these products did not benefit from the grace period granted to them by the Authority to correct their situation 3 years ago, and some of them insist on bringing these products that are in violation and harmful to the consumer into the country, and distributing them in the markets to the final consumer without taking into account their unsuitability for that, and without considering the health and safety of citizens, or dealing honestly and transparently with the consumer."

The statement said that some traders, instead of "correcting their situation and adhering to the specifications, went to the media with the aim of misleading and falsifying awareness with the aim of pressuring the ministry and the authority to collude with them in this, which the ministry and the Yemeni Authority for Standardization, Metrology and Quality Control cannot accept or be lenient in taking legal measures regarding these products and all products that violate the specifications, standards and health and safety requirements in force."