Yemenis celebrate Ramadan as life bettering

SANAA, July 23 (Xinhua) -- The Yemeni people are fasting the holy month of Ramadan amid improved situation this year.

Abdulwahid Ghalib, a state employee who lives in the Sawan area in the capital Sanaa, said prices are stable and supplies are available this year.

"There is no problem with key supplies such as oil derivatives, mainly gas, and this is a good indicator that the situation has improved," he said.

"I bought all that are needed for the holy month this year, thanks to the efforts of the government including remarkable progress on the political settlement and stability," he added.

Owners of Al-Hubaishi Stores for Foodstuffs Trade in the Shumaila district said their sales this year increased by some 30 percent compared to last year.

"Products are available and the prices are almost stable and this is reflected on our sales and improving purchasing power," they said.

Eqbal Yasin, deputy minister of industry and trade, said the government has exerted major efforts to ensure sufficient supplies at local markets.

"The authorities are also monitoring the quality of products and this has created confidence among the people," he said, adding that "Ramadan this year is different, or rather better than last year and much better than 2011."

In 2012, the year when the power-sharing government took office after the political crisis that rocked the country in 2011, the Yemeni authorities were struggling to improve all services mainly electricity and water supplies and to control everything after the crisis deepened the country's problems.

In 2011, prices of almost all products increased, some doubled and some even worse; there was not electricity and fuel shortages were the worst in the country's history.

Electricity outages were still common in key cities including Sanaa last year, but this year, blackouts are less and mostly programmed due to low production of the country's power plants, according to Yemeni officials.

In general, said Marzouk Mohsen, executive director of Yemen economic and social development research center, the economic situation and key indicators are bettering this year.

"Political stability, flow of aid from donors and the government efforts to improve the situation have boosted positive economic indicators and led to improving purchasing power, mainly regarding food supplies and oil derivatives," Mohsen said.

"The Yemeni people used to experience shortages of oil derivatives such as gas and diesel and fluctuating prices of key food products in Ramadan, but this year the situation is better and prices and supplies are stable," he added.

However, some traders and analysts still think the purchasing power is declining this year, but not very much.

Mustafa Nasr, head of the studies and economic media center, attributed the continuous decline (as he claims) of the purchasing power to the still low income of the Yemeni people and rising poverty rates.

Although the general economic situation in Yemen is stable, Nasr said fears remain amid continuous reliance of the country on decreasing oil exports.

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