The Management of the Supplying West Africa Traders (SWAT) through its Administrative Manager has described as a complete 'Blackmail' report that the company exported huge quantity of "outdated rice" from Monrovia to Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

SWAT is a premier dealer of rice on the Liberian market. According to Madam MusuHenries, at no point in time did SWAT export "outdated rice" to Ivory Coast. Madam Henries was reacting to an emailed report sent to the Heritage last Week by Mr. Dosso Zoom for publication.

In the email report, Mr. Zoom asserted that SWAT is a Liberian rice company with a French national, Guy DEMONTOLE, who is in charge of the rice department of the Swiss company Dreyfus, as one of the main shareholders.

According to his report, Guy DEMONTOLE is said to have been taking huge amount of rice to distribute it to companies in Africa he is attached to. "The press in several parts of Africa has been talking about the activities of the French national who has caused the hike of price in other parts of the continent by flooding the market in order to strangulate other importers and then creating a shortage to increase the price," Mr. Zoom added in his report.

It can be recalled that over the past time, UCI officials told journalists that they knew the Swiss Company- Dreyfus, to be a major supplier of rice in Liberia and other countries, but did not go further. But in line with best journalistic practice, the Heritage over the weekend contacted SWAT for its reaction to assertions contained in said email report against it.

Speaking further in reaction to the report of the "outdated rice", Madam Henries disclosed that the company shipped over 600,000 bags of white rice to Ivory Coast in order not to incur major financial losses because the public was not buying the white rice in question but was in high demand in Ivory Coast.

But she was quick to point out that the rice, which SWAT shipped to Ivory Coast, was not "outdated" as claimed by the email report.

However, for this act, she said SWAT obtained legitimate document from authorities of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry to re-export the rice. The Ministry of Commerce and Industry is tasked with the responsibility to regulate business activities in the country, including the importation and exportation of goods.

Meanwhile, authorities of the Ministry of Commerce & Industry confirmed that they did authorize the SWAT to ship the over 600,000 bags of white rice to Ivory Coast since the public was not buying the commodity and such commodity was in demand in that neighboring country.

Among other things, they added that the company got their permission before shipping the rice and that there was nothing wrong with that.

At the same time, some rice dealers have accused pointing fingers at the United Commodities Incorporated (UCI) of being behind what they called the incessant 'dirty propaganda' against SWAT because of SWAT growing progress. The UCI is a Lebanese owned company involved in the importation of rice and other business activities in Liberia.

The rice dealers, speaking to this paper on condition of anonymity, averred that this is not the first time such 'negative report' has come out in the media against SWAT.

The rice dealers, most of whom are young people, accentuated that it is a bad omen for the business sector to be politicized.

But authorities of UCI are yet to comment on the assertions by the rice dealers. It could be recalled that several months ago, the Government of Liberia (GoL) through the Ministry of Commerce & Industry cautiously warned major rice importers in the country to refrain from engaging in negative public relations that would undermine the efforts of the GoL.

As rice remains the most politically sensitive commodity on the market, the GoL also warned strongly against all unnecessary media propaganda and the play of politics in the sector, as in the case of the Swiss Rice Firm mentioned about in the local newspapers.

The GoL, which caveat was contained in a strong worded press release, pointed out that competition in an open market system is measured by the natural forces of supply and demand and not undue actions that could lead to the artificial and/or real scarcity of the commodity on the local market.

The Government assured the public that the Ministry of Commerce and Industry will do all within its powers to vigorously protect the market from any form or shape of misconduct that has the potential to undermine national food security in keeping with its statutory mandate.