The Inquirer (Monrovia)
Sebo Daniels
3 October 2008
The Minister of Information Lawrence K. Bropleh says the government of Liberia will not hesitate to prosecute any one found engaged in hoarding Liberia's staple food rice in an alleged attempt for profit making at the detriment of consumers.
He made the pronouncement yesterday at a major news conference at the Ministry of Information on Capitol Hill in Monrovia.
Minister Bropleh who has just returned from the United States where he accompanied President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to the 63rd, General Assembly of the United Nations, spoke on a wide range of issues.
He said there is sufficient rice in the country, stockpiled at various ware houses at the Freeport of Monrovia and warned that there is no room for hoarding as those engaged in such habit risk being prosecuted.
Addressing concerns that some importers were involved in hoarding, Minister Bropleh said if this is true, the government would not hesitate to take drastic action against any of the importers in accordance with law.
For sometime now, there have been reports that the price of the commodity has been increasing steadily on the market because some dealers are hoarding the commodity thereby creating the impression that rice is scarce on the market.
The alleged acts of these dealers have created a situation where the price of a bag of rice, which was previously sold for the government's approved price of US$35.00, has jumped between US$45 to US$50.
The reported artificial shortage of the commodity comes in the wake of reports that the government and the major importers are holding consultations to increase the price of the commodity based on a request which importers have reportedly made to the government to reflect a slight change in the price of the commodity because of loses, which they claimed, they are sustaining.
On other national issue including President Sirleaf's visit to the United States, Minister Bropleh said that in her speech delivered to the General Assembly, he pointed out that Sirleaf underscored the need to enhance the Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS) in a bid to enable the country achieve the Millennium Development Goal (MDG).
He added that President Sirleaf used the occasion to inform the world body about the level of progress made thus far by her administration during the past three years since she took over the gavel of authority in Liberia.
He said the President's speech dwelled on issues such as the implementation of health care, agriculture, the construction of schools; roads net work among others.
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