By S. Siapha Mulbah (Cub Reporter)
One of Liberia’s many historical references for internal crisis is again sparking as the issue of rice is taking different dimension.
This single commodity if not addressed with real speed could probably lead to another unprecedented eventuality if authorities are not cognizant enough to intervene in the soonest possible time.
It has in recent times been the daily cry of the commodity vendors that there could be an increase in the price of rice; a situation which is causing importers to allegedly hoard metrics and metrics tons of rice, so that at the end of the day, they will sell rice to retailers with a profiteering-objective.
Yesterday morning, a group of rice dealers converged at the front of the Executive Mansion to claim the attention of the President thus bringing to his attention decisions of rice importers in the country who have blatantly refused to sell or distribute rice to retailers.
According to some retailers from the Doe Community in Montserrado County; store owners had for five weeks denied them the opportunity to have rice in their various retail shops, but the importers are insisting that the government allows them increase the price from US$13 to something around US$16.
Cynthia Fangara said that in an attempt to get inquiries about the sale of rice from major importers, they (Retailers) were instructed to go to the government for intervention because the rice in the stores will be given to them.
She expressed dismay in sleeping at a store for many nights just to have business moving at her shop to sustain her family but to no avail while others are getting the rice and taking to the market to be sold at a higher price.
They named K and K Trading Corporation, Fouta Conex Corporation, Founai Brothers Incorporated and the Swag Business Center as major foreign businesses operating in Liberia that are now involved in holding onto the country’s economy.
Anthony Gbule also noted that the Commerce Ministry has on numerous occasions visited the stores through inspectors but had blatantly refused to take actions against those involve in the act of holding on to the basic commodity.
According to him, when he and other rice retailers assemble in Vai Town to purchase the rice from the importers, four unidentified commerce inspectors told them that the government was responsible for the situation and not importers; and as such the citizens should engage the government in solving the problem.
With Liberians living on rice as the staple food in the country, it is recorded in history that citizens went through a serious Rice Riots in 1979, when dozens of protesters were killed and hundreds injured in the riots following a proposed increase in the price of rice in Liberia.
Former President William Tolbert, without warning; increased the price of a 100-pound bag of rice from $22 to$26- $30, that were in pundits’ mind politically motivated which lead to the riot.
Now that reports of another increment in the price of the staple become the daily protest around the country, citizens are concerned that the government takes cue of the issues speedily as a major political event spins around the corners.
Recently the Information Minister Legendhood Rennie revealed that there is no shortage of rice in the country, thus warning the public to avoid politicizing the artificial shortage.
Though Minister Rennie could not confirm or deny the government’s alleged connection to the importer’s ideas of increment of the price of rice, he assured this administration’s effort to make sure that citizens get their supplies of rice at affordable prices.
