Bahrain MPs urge mandatory use of barcodes

Manama : A group of five MPs are seeking to make the use of barcodes mandatory for all importing and exporting companies in Bahrain.

The lawmakers said the move would upgrade local production to international standards, combat commercial fraud and customs tax evasion.

The proposal was submitted by MPs Ghazi Al Rahma, Ali Al Aradi, Khalid Al Shaer, Nasser Al Qasseer and Jalal Kadhem by the first quarter of this year.

They said the proposal would enhance consumer protection in Bahrain by easing monitoring on commodities being circulated in local markets.

“This would also provide accurate economic information, which would help in conducting economic and statistical studies. Many international economies banned trading in non-barcoded products and improved their national economies,” Al Rahma said previously.

The proposal was referred to the council’s Financial and Economic Affairs Committee, which studied the matter with Industry, Commerce and Tourism Ministry and Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI).

The Ministry advised the committee that “it would be better if the matter was voluntary and not mandatory to avoid putting extra financial burdens on small and medium establishments.”

As for the chamber, it informed the committee that it needed more time to study the proposal.

However, this didn’t stop the committee from passing the proposal, which would be referred to the council for voting on Tuesday.