End monopoly to bring down prices

When the Sunday Observer sought the views of the public about the high cost of living, a retired employee of the Central Bank said the prices of commodity items would never be brought down as long as the middlemen dominate the market. Here are the excerpts of the interview.

Gihan Iddamalgoda of Narahenpita is of the view that the Government cannot control the price of essential commodity items as the monopoly of importing these items is still with the private sector.

"Therefore, I request the President to intervene and issue a gazette notification to control the prices of at least rice, flour, dhal and sugar".

A General Physician, Dr. (Mrs.) Kalyani Satharasinghe said "We know the Government spends billions towards the war and I think, at the same time they must also focus its attention even towards the most burning issue of the COL".

She, therefore requested the Government not to increase the prices of essential commodity items, considering at least poor people who account for 70 per cent of the population in the country.

She also requested the President to cut down the perks enjoyed by parliamentarians and reduce the Cabinet of Ministers, so that, a large sum of money could be diverted towards development in the country. A private sector employee, Chandana Pushpakumara said if the country's agricultural sector could be developed, people will not feel the high COL much".

He suggested the Government should stop filling cultivable paddylands and clearing coconut lands for commercial purposes.

He also asked the Agricultural Ministry to grant any quantity of fertilizer at the rate of Rs. 350, so that, more people will indulge in the agriculture.

Retired Captain of Army, Sudharman Weerakkodi said "I heard a certain powerful person, who is an MP representing a rice producing area is responsible for the price increase of rice.

"If there is a truth in this statement, I personally request President Rajapaksa to look into the matter and clear the doubts of the people."

K.P. Karunasena of Colombo asked the Government to take measures to reduce the price of rice and dhal considering the pathetic living conditions of about 70 per cent ordinary people.

"The authorities must know when the price of rice, fuel or any other consumer item goes up, it will not affect to parliamentarians or any other rich people and it will badly affect the majority downtrodden people who voted for the Government."

A Laboratory Assistant, Harendra Wijemanna said the country has ample stocks of rice, but, some traders in his area at Panadura have hoarded them with the hope of increasing the price later,"

"I think authorities must take strict action against such traders," A Charted Accountant Rikthi Hassan of Wellawatte requested the Trade Ministry to set up more budget shops, Co-operatives and Sathosa outlets countrywide and to compete with the private sector.

A retired Central Bank official, K.G. Perera said the price increases in the Colombo rice market, the fish market and in the Manning market are purposely created by traders, and the middlemen.

"The traders and middlemen in the Colombo market have a special network to determine the price increases and the prices of commodity items depend on it." He therefore, urged the relevant authorities to study their method carefully and crack down on the offenders.

A housewife, Kumudini Tennakoon of Kurunegala said that Sri Lankan climatic conditions are suitable for paddy, coconut, vegetable and sugar cane cultivation. "But unfortunately the land owners do not pay much attention to their lands and as a result the majority of such lands are idling for years and years,".

She therefore suggested that the Government should impose laws to encourage land owners to cultivate their lands as in several Middle Eastern countries and also in China and Malaysia.

Sriyananda Silva of Nugegoda was reluctant to talk about the high cost of living, but thanked the Government and the security forces for their superb effort to overcome the war situation.

"True, that ordinary people are suffering due to high COL, but we must bear it at this critical juncture for sometime because our own blood brothers are performing a tireless job in the thick jungles of the North to protect the territorial integrity,".

An official of a private security firm, R.A. Newton said there was no other way to reduce the price of essential commodity items other than improving the country's agricultural sector.

"Our country has lot of lands which are overlooked by Government officials who are responsible for developing the agricultural sector in the country. Therefore, I urge the authorities to do an islandwide survey on such lands and encourage the owners to cultivate them,".

He said if the owners of these lands were reluctant to cultivate them, then the lands must be given to Samurdhi families on a temporary basic.

"In our area, almost all Samurdhi recipients are landless, if they are provided with lands they are ready to cultivate them,"

An English teacher in a public school at Nikaweratiya, Savithri Wanigasekara was reluctant to put the blame on the government for the high COL.

"This is an artificial price increase, created by traders. As we know some traders are withholding stocks with the objective of increasing the prices later."

He therefore suggested the Trade Ministry to take stringent measures against traders who are found guilty of hoarding.

A banker, Gamini Haththotuwa of Kandy thanked the Government for gazetting rice as an essential commodity item.

"With this gazette notification now the traders cannot withhold rice stocks as we know the majority traders in our country create unnecessary food shortages with the objective of increasing prices in the open market,"

A mother of three, Shivanthi Rasanayagam of Wellawatta said "Rice and flour are the most essential commodity items among all other food items, therefore the distribution of these two items must be done under the surveillance of the Government,"

"I suggest the Trade Ministry to deploy more and more food distribution lorries at main towns countrywide, so that, people could purchase rice, flour, dhal, sugar and onions at reasonable price".

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Pix: Vipula Amarasinghe