ADDIS ABABA- Addis Ababa Cooperative Commission disclosed that it is collaborating with manufacturers, development enterprises and consumers cooperative union to establish market connections so as to curb inflation.

Speaking at the discussion forum conducted yesterday by the commission focusing on product supply and market linkages, with industrial owners, importers, consumer cooperatives and unions, Habteyes Diro, Addis Ababa Cooperative Commission Deputy General Director, said that it is working to control inflation by creating market linkages with manufacturers and development institutions.

Industrial owners, importers signed an agreement to create market linkages with consumer cooperatives and unions during the event as the market linkage would ensure the mutual benefit of the owners of the manufacturing industries and the consumer.

As cited in the submitted document which comprises the process of providing products to the city is believed to help stabilize the market and shorten the chain between the consumer and the producer in due course of providing quality products.

As to him, the importance of the marketing linkage is to control the artificial market by connecting the manufacturers of the industry and the consumers as well as maintaining the flow of the product so as to reach out to consumers.

The aim of the marketing network is to make fair utilization of all marketing actors, help the manufacturer get the appropriate price for their products and shorten the unnecessary market chain thereby having a stable market system. In so doing, it is possible to come up with high quality product, he added.

In Addis Ababa city, there are 11 consumer unions, 151 basic cooperatives, 700 product shops, 228 mills and 20 supermarkets. Besides, there are problems in relation to product supply in spite of the presence of manufacturing factories supply to farmers through market linkages, he said.

BY ESSEYE MENGISTE

THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD WEDNESDAY 29 NOVEMBER 2023