By S. Siapha Mulbah (Cub Reporter)
While Liberia is still faced with unstable prices in petroleum products and other commodities across the country, importers are eagerly but gradually joining the fray.
Yesterday it was reported by local rice sellers that importers are refusing to sell the commodity at its regular price.
The sellers accused the importers of withholding the quantity of rice currently in stock in the country with the intention that the prices might be inflated based on its demand.
Early Tuesday morning, hundreds of business people gathered at the K $ K Trading Corporation in Vai Town and set up road block on the main street calling the government’s attention to the reported hoarding of Liberia’s staple food, rice.
The protesters alleged that for the past two weeks, they had to leave their homes under the cover of darkness to reach the rice stores early to obtain tickets required for them to purchase rice.
According to the aggrieved business people, there are speculations that there is rice shortage on the market; but the contrary is that there are stockpiles of bags of rice at most of the importers’ business centers or warehouses.
One of the disgruntled sellers, Katherine Dokia told reporters that store owners issued tickets to them to make them eligible to be served but since last week, her business has not been able to get a single bag of rice, a situation which is not only causing her losses in business, but also signaling imminent starvation across the country.
She expressed disappointment in the Ministry of Commerce for what she called lack of interest in helping Liberians that are struggling to empower themselves through business.
“Commerce does not care about us. When we started sleeping here, they came and said we should bring our business registration documents and I personally brought it for one week in row but still cannot get one cup of rice,” Madam Dokia explained.
Fatu Varkolie, another rice seller, said that the situation has exposed them to danger because they have to get in the street as early as 4 A.M. to get to the stores while others sleep at the stores to avoid going to town late.
According to her, the issue concerning the importation of rice needs to be addressed seriously in order to avoid any eventual uprising in the name of ‘rice shortage.’
The business woman then called on the Legislature, Ministry of Commerce and all other relevant stakeholders to take cue of the artificial shortage that rice importers have embarked on creating.