KUWAIT CITY, Aug 13: Subsidies for basic food supplies, milk and baby food, and construction materials increased by 0.9 percent during the first half of 2025, rising by KD 1.6 million compared to the subsidies for construction materials in the same period of 2024. The total value of subsidies reached KD 181.7 million, including KD 95.5 million for construction materials (52.4 percent), KD 77.5 million for basic materials (42.6 percent), and KD 8.8 million for milk and baby food (5 percent) of the total food subsidies during the first half of the year.
Official statistics from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry showed that approximately 2.3 million individuals benefited from cumulative subsidies by the end of June 2025, along with the registration of about 272,134 cumulative ration cards during the same period.
Detailed data show that subsidies for basic commodities disbursed through ration cards during the first half of the year increased by 14.3 percent, about KD 11.1 million, compared to KD 66.4 million in the same period last year. Subsidies for milk and baby food rose by 18 percent (KD 1.6 million) this year, up from KD 7.2 million in the first half of 2024. Meanwhile, subsidies for construction materials declined by 10.5 percent (KD 11.2 million) to KD 95.2 million, compared to KD 106.4 million in the first half of last year.
Statistics also recorded that the Ministry of Commerce and Industry supported food commodities in June with a total of KD 32 million, of which KD 17 million (55 percent) was allocated to basic commodities, which is a 26 percent increase compared to May. Milk and baby food subsidies totaled about KD 2 million, representing 7 percent of the total subsidies disbursed and marking an 84 percent increase compared to the previous month. Subsidies for construction materials amounted to approximately KD 12 million, accounting for 39 percent of the total disbursed and reflecting a 24 percent decrease compared to May.
Data from the Construction Supply Department for June 2025 showed that 333 new requests for subsidized construction materials were issued, which is a 46 percent decrease compared to the previous month. Renewals of subsidized construction material transactions numbered 26, down ten percent, while three requests for exchanging subsidized materials were submitted, a 67 percent decrease. Requests for certificates of receipt of materials totaled 26, a four percent increase, and requests for certificates of non-receipt of materials reached 72, a three percent increase.
By Marwa Al-Bahrawi
Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff
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