144 million KD in food subsidies in the first half... a 22% decline

Precious metal inspection fees rise by 8%, while real estate brokerage transactions double in June

Data from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry showed that total subsidies for basic foodstuffs and construction materials declined by 22.11% on a year-on-year basis during the first half of 2026, reaching 143.56 million dinars, compared to 184.33 million dinars during the same period in 2025.

Basic materials accounted for the largest share of total subsidies, valued at 77.5 million dinars, representing 54% of total expenditures, marking a 3.5% decline compared to 80.35 million dinars in the first half of last year.

Subsidies for construction materials saw a notable drop, amounting to 56.74 million dinars, or 39.5% of total subsidies, down from 95.06 million dinars in the corresponding period of 2025, a decrease of 40.3%.

Conversely, subsidies for milk and infant formula recorded the largest decline of 47.5%, falling to 9.26 million dinars, compared to 17.64 million dinars in the first half of last year.

On a monthly performance basis, the subsidy bill rose by 26.3% in June 2026 to reach 24 million dinars, compared to 19 million dinars in the previous month of May.

Subsidies for basic materials reached approximately 16 million dinars in June, accounting for 64% of total disbursed subsidies, registering a 51% growth compared to May. Subsidies for milk and infant formula also rose to nearly 2 million dinars, constituting 8% of total subsidies, with a monthly increase of 34%.

In contrast, the value of subsidies for construction materials stood at around 7 million dinars, equivalent to 28% of total disbursed subsidies in June, down by 9% compared to May.

According to the data, the number of beneficiaries of food subsidies reached approximately 2.39 million by the end of June, while the cumulative number of food ration cards totaled approximately 279,753,000 cards.

Precious Metals

Data from the Ministry of Commerce for June 2026 revealed notable activity in several departments, including a rise in precious metal inspection fees and a doubling of real estate and valuation service transactions, alongside an increase in patent and industrial design applications.

Data from the Precious Metals Department showed that total fees collected for inspection services reached 308,800 dinars, an 8% increase compared to last May. Inspection activities covered more than 4.19 million grams of gold and 5.1 million grams of silver, in addition to quantities of platinum, diamonds, valuable stones, and gem-set accessories, as well as a number of watches and metalwork items.

Real Estate and Valuation Services

In the Real Estate and Valuation Services Department, the number of completed transactions in June doubled to 140, compared to 70 in May, a 100% increase, distributed across 14 types of transactions. Applications for issuing real estate brokerage books rose by 180% to 14 transactions, while applications for renewing brokerage books increased by 112% to 53 transactions. Requests to renew real estate broker IDs also rose by 178% to 25 transactions, while applications for issuing new real estate broker IDs reached 23 transactions, a 53% increase. Conversely, applications to cancel brokerage books declined by 17% to 10 transactions.

7 Patent Applications from Individuals

In the field of supervision, the Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism Administration continued its inspection tours of jewelry, gemstones, and precious metals activities. It conducted four comprehensive inspections of high-risk facilities, along with a number of supervisory transactions, visits, and meetings, in addition to processing 118 subject transactions and 61 emergency transactions.

In the intellectual property sector, the number of patent applications submitted by individuals rose to seven, representing a 133% increase. Applications from companies increased to 56, up 17% compared to May. Conversely, the number of transactions related to the grant and publication of patents for companies declined by 80%.

As for the industrial designs department, the number of industrial design deposit applications rose to 30, an increase of 11%. Meanwhile, transactions related to the grant and publication of industrial designs fell to 11, a decrease of 35% compared to the previous month. The number of industrial design renewal applications stood at seven.