Panic buying continues, food prices surge in Dubai
Telegraph | 3 March 2026
Panic buying and rising food prices continued in Dubai on Monday, though the roads had a few more vehicles and pedestrians compared with the deserted streets of Sunday.
Life is far from normal, but some people are venturing out despite the ongoing threat of war.
A 21-year-old man from Calcutta and a woman from Salt Lake, who lives in an apartment on the 46th floor, had shared their experiences with Metro on Sunday. On Monday, they were trying to cope with the situation.
On Sunday night, the young man went to a hypermarket in the Jebel Ali area with a group of 40.
“The prices of potatoes, tomatoes, rice and other items had at least tripled. We purchased ration for a week. The hypermarket was crowded,” he said.
“Usually, we spend five to six minutes at the counters to pay. On Sunday, we stood in the queue for an hour… Our management was checking whether we had all the necessary supplies.”
“We again saw missiles in the sky around 8am on Monday,” he said.
The woman, who lives with her husband, seven-year-old son and two-and-a-half-year-old daughter in the Burj Khalifa district, said her family had not stepped outside since the missile attacks began.
“We are consciously refraining from panic buying. Our neighbourhood stores are well stocked, and there is no sign of shortage,” the woman said.
She also noted that the freeway looked far more normal than on Sunday, when it had been completely deserted.
“People here really trust the system. That is probably why they are venturing out, confident that the attacks will be successfully intercepted,” she added.