Calling President Sirleaf to Attention

Source: Heritage Liberia

The Price of Liberia’s staple, rice, has increased on the local market. At some shopping centers in Monrovia and its environs, a bag of Chinese round grain rice (butter rice) is being marketed for US$ 25.00 contrary to the Government of Liberia’s approved price, which stands at US$21.00. This arbitrary increase in the price of the nation’s staple, according to a random survey conducted by this paper, is causing serious problem not only for the ordinary people, but even those in officialdom.

In some homes where the income generating power of the family heads is weak, hunger becomes the order of the day, with some members of the family particularly children being direct victims.

In some cases, unnecessary confusion often erupts between the parents and sometime children, all on the account of the increase in the price of rice on the local market.

In several rural communities where farming activities have been on a similar skill due to the effect of the over decade armed conflict in Liberia, the situation is even worse.

The locals, due to the scarcity and increase in the price of the commodity, feed on wild leaves and other edibles on a daily basis.

For us, we consider the continued arbitrary increase in the price of the nation staple, rice by unscrupulous business people and self centered members of officialdom as not only in the best interest of the consuming public whose purchasing power and monthly income is far below the current price of the commodity.

We think the continued hike in the price of the commodity will cause more damage to the consuming public and bring insecurity in the country. To prevent such looming danger, it is important that the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf -led government takes every necessary action against unscrupulous business people who are trading the commodity at very high cost.