Four months after a compact was put in place between Government and the private sector to set a cap on several food and household supermarket items, one consumer body is lamenting that residents have not yet seen any benefit.
In fact, indicating that consumers were still suffering from “an exponential rise” in the cost of living in recent times, and with 61 days to go before the compact comes to an end, the Barbados Consumer Empowerment Network (BCEN) is planning to turn up the pressure on authorities to lower prices on everyday items.
“The price of goods and services has increased while a few large players remain in control of the market. Some businesses and industries in Barbados have consolidated and the competition has weakened, and it is having a negative impact on many households,” the consumer body said in a statement on Thursday.
“Up to this point, Barbadians are not feeling any relief and we have had conflicting announcements from certain segments of the business community. We have also heard from the Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry,” the statement said.
Prime Minister Mia Mottley announced in mid-July that following a series of meetings with the Social Partnership, including supermarkets and wholesale distributors, that Government would forgo some $17.5 million in Value Added Tax (VAT) and duties on some essential food items.
She said the private sector had signed a compact that would see some supermarkets reducing their mark-ups on 47 key items between the period July 21, 2022 to January 31, 2023.
The private sector has already served notice that the compact was unlikely to continue as businesses grappled with high and rising prices that were out of their control.
The sector also explained that while there was a freeze on the mark-ups, it had no control over the price of origin on many of the items.
However, complaining that workers, families, retirees and even some business owners were “feeling the full brunt of an exponential rise in the cost of living”, the BCEN said it was calling on Barbadians to “complain and speak out” against the astronomical rise in food prices in supermarkets across Barbados.
The association said it would be starting a petition to protest the rising food costs, as it urged Barbadians to bring in their grocery receipts for the months of October and November to show the trends for those two months.
“We are asking Barbadians to send us their receipts with their names and contact details. We intend to start a petition to protest the rising food prices in Barbados. We will have a collection box stationed at Eastmond and Company, Dayrell’s Road, St Michael and later at a location to be announced,” it said.
Stopping short of accusing some supermarkets of pushing up prices on some items, the new consumer watchdog agency said, “The situation is untenable especially this time of year and given all that we have undergone since the COVID-19 crisis. Consumers must have the confidence to exercise their rights and take action against unscrupulous pricing practices and the ongoing rise in the cost of living.”
The BCEN was launched in July of this year at the Bagnall’s Point Gallery, Pelican Village.
Its interim Executive Director is Maureen Holder. (MM/PR)
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