Consumers have a new price comparison tool in their hands with the official launch of the new digital platform "e-kalathi", which was presented on Wednesday by the Minister of Energy George Papanastasiou and officials of the Ministry, in the presence of the Deputy Minister of Innovation Nikodimos Damianos.
As mentioned during the presentation, this is an innovative initiative, within the framework of the government program, which aims to strengthen consumer protection and promote transparency in the market.
During the presentation of the platform, at a press conference at the PGI, in Nicosia, it was said that “e-kalathi” offers citizens the opportunity to be informed in real time about the prices and availability of basic consumer products in the large supermarkets of Cyprus, both at a pan-Cypriot level and by province. Through the platform, consumers can easily compare, by store, product prices, as well as the cost of “baskets” of selected products, thus making more advantageous purchases and strengthening their position in the market.
In its initial phase, the platform includes prices for 478 products in 20 main categories, such as milk and dairy, eggs, cold cuts, oils, bakery products, pasta, flour, rice, frozen products, non-alcoholic beverages, personal care products, baby products, home care products and pet food.
Speaking at the conference, Minister Giorgos Papanastasiou initially said that the Government, with strategic planning and full transparency, utilizes every available means to practically and substantially stand by the citizens.
"With "e-kalathi" we are taking another important step towards strengthening consumer protection, offering them the opportunity to be informed in real time, to easily compare prices and to make the most advantageous purchases. The power of the consumer stems from knowledge and correct information, elements that are achieved through education and the development of consumer culture," he said and emphasized that "e-kalathi" promotes transparency and ensures immediate information regarding the prices and availability of basic products in the large supermarkets of Cyprus, both at a pan-Cypriot level and by province. At the same time, he added, it provides consumers with the opportunity to compare the cost of "baskets" with selected products per store.
Mr. Papanastasiou said that in its initial phase, the platform includes prices for 478 consumer products, divided into 20 main categories, such as milk and dairy products, eggs, cold cuts, oils, bakery products, pasta, flour, rice, frozen products, non-alcoholic beverages, personal care items, baby products, home care items, and pet food.
The Minister stated that the award of the contract for the delivery of the project within one year had been completed in July 2024 and explained that despite the great efforts made to start operating the platform earlier, the complexity of the project delayed implementation.
He noted that after the decision to make the application available simultaneously in a web and mobile environment, as well as by resolving important technical issues, such as the successful interconnection of all supermarkets and ensuring the security of the system, "today we are pleased to present "e-kalathi" and we invite all citizens to explore it and utilize it."
Mr. Papanastasiou noted that the platform is not static. As it will evolve continuously, based on the feedback we receive from consumers and the stakeholders involved.
"The full implementation of "e-kalathi" proves in practice that when there is political will and social sensitivity, measures can be designed and implemented with a substantial impact on the everyday lives of citizens," he concluded.
For his part, Deputy Minister Nikodimos Damianou, speaking at the conference, said that a very important point is the fact that the Government is moving forward with digitalization and this is another sign that as a country we have changed pace, and the Government is providing solutions that are easy, user-friendly and important for the citizen.
The second important point that emerges through the implementation of the new platform is the cooperation of the Deputy Ministry, which has a horizontal role, with the other Ministries, Deputy Ministries, Departments which are the owners of each project. Our role was limited to technical support, both during the implementation of the project and during the planning, regarding infrastructure, security checks, etc.," he said.
The presentation of “e-kalathi” was made by the Director of the Consumer Protection Service, Konstantinos Karagiorgis, who initially compared the prices of certain products with specific examples and then proceeded to create a basket, which he compared between the various supermarkets. By placing just a few products, Mr. Karagiorgis showed that the basket he had created cost from 119 euros in one supermarket to 137 euros in another.
The platform is available in a web environment at www.e-kalathi.gov.cy as well as in mobile applications.
The application will be fully implemented starting tomorrow, Thursday when the mobile applications will be available.
As stated at the conference, in the context of the questions and answers, 167 supermarkets from 22 supermarket chains with a turnover of over 5 million euros are participating in the platform.
Also, the 478 products selected can be renewed if it is determined that any of them are not widely used, while there is also the possibility on the platform to increase them to over a thousand.
The responsibility for updating product prices, in case of change, as well as the existence of offers will be the responsibility of the supermarkets themselves directly on the platform. On the other hand, the Ministry's Consumer Protection Service will check whether the prices listed on "e-kalathi" are the same as the actual prices on the shelves of the supermarkets.
The total cost of the platform amounted to 218 thousand euros.
Source: KYPE
