The meeting was chaired by Shoura Council Deputy Chairman Bandar bin Mohammed Hamzah Hajjar.
Following the session, Shoura Council Secretary-General Muhammad Al-Ghamdi said that the observation was made when the annual report of the ministry was tabled at the fifth session of the council on Sunday.
The members said that an effective mechanism to control prices of all items should be developed in the interests of the consumers.
During the reading of the annual report for 2010 (1430/1431 Hijri), the house reviewed the efforts made by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry to stimulate economic growth and to provide employment opportunities for the local youths.
The members insisted that business in all sectors should be carried out according to Shariah, where the private sector should be given a free hand to transact their businesses in an economic climate that boosts the financial growth of the country.
The house stressed the need for the ministry to contribute to the increase of gross national product (GDP) and promote nonoil exports according to the guidelines given in the Ninth Five Year Plan.
The council also called for the need to consider ways of combating commercial fraud. The members said the Kingdom should make use of international experience and get foreign technical support to eliminate fraud in the commercial sector.
In addition, the Shoura Council wished to be informed on the ministry’s progress in the implementation of King Abdullah's initiative for agricultural investment abroad and its potential impact on food imports to the Kingdom. Subsequently, the house said the Kingdom should take sterner measures to combat smoking, since it affected men and women of all ages.
The Committee on Health and Environment tabled a draft project on the issue containing 21 articles. The members noted that there was a difference of opinion between the Shoura members and the Council of Ministers on nine articles.
The project report recommends imposing taxes on all imported cigarettes and tobacco.
It also says that stringent measures should be taken against cultivation of tobacco or companies that try to manufacture cigarettes in the Kingdom. The members said the tobacco imported should undergo special laboratory tests to ascertain the degree of its harmfulness.
The members said that effective anti-smoking awareness campaigns should be carried out at all levels.
