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PM talks food prices with Supermarket owners
Posted On 13 May 2014
PRIME Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar SC has engaged supermarket owners from across the country to “work together to ensure all citizens can afford themselves everything they need to sustain healthy families.”
Speaking following another round of the National Conversation Initiative with supermarket owners at the Super Quality Complex in Chaguanas this afternoon, the Prime Minister said: “I am very happy for this opportunity to have this conversation with you to listen and learn how we in the Government can work together with our nation’s supermarket owners to provide the best quality food and products at the most affordable level to citizens.”
Noting that many citizens have expressed concern over fluctuating food prices, the Prime Minister told supermarket owners: “Being here today, and having this conversation has effectively brought the issues of food quality, availability and affordability to centre-stage.”
Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar also spoke of the success of the National Conversation Initiative so far, speaking of meetings already hosted with interest groups, and plans for future meetings and adding, “through keen participation at the website and direct feedback, we have also been able to hear from citizens on a number of areas of national development which we, as a responsible Government, have a duty to consider.”
The Prime Minister stated that the success of the programme has convinced her more than ever before that “citizens want to participate in their own democracy, and be the ones to build their own future through a performance-driven and listening Government.”
Promising to give consideration to concerns expressed by supermarket owners, the Prime Minister reminded business operators: “Our supermarket owners play an extremely important role not only in the quality of lives of our citizens, but in helping citizens maintain their ability to sufficiently provide for the health and wellbeing of their families.”
“And as the Government, citizens depend on us to intervene, monitor and implement policies which will protect their fundamental interests most of all – a role which I have every intention of continuing to carry out to secure our families,” she stated.
One day a week of national fasting on just water and all food prices should go down.
ONE DAY A WEEK OF FASTING JUST ON WATER AND ALL FOOD PRICES SHOULD GO DOWN.
It is hard to believe that someone with intelligence would be engaging the private sector whose bottom line is profits to ask them to purposely reduce their bottom line. Greed does not relinquish an inch without first taking a mile and that inch is not given up without a fight. State regulation and enforcement of prices is the only means by which a desirable reduction in food prices can be reached. To ask the robber to take less from his victim is cowardice at least and at best revealing oneself as in alliance with that robber. The prudent thing to do would be to invite Consumer advocacy groups, Grocery owner reps. and the relevant Gov. Agency to dialogue and come up workable solutions to be approved for statewide use. Anything else is a failure of leadership to understand and properly address issues for which it was elected to preside over.