Africa-Press – Angola. The population of Saurimo, in the province of Lunda-Sul, defends the adjustment of policy measures aimed at stability and standardization of prices for basic food products as a way of halting the constant fluctuations in the markets.
According to consumers interviewed, it has been difficult to make plans with the available resources, as the prices of essential products change as if on a daily basis in the markets.
The civil servant Paula Matias, notes a slight drop in prices since mid-September, but warns the competent authorities to take measures to prevent possible price speculation attempts due to the approach of the festive season.
In relation to August, he stated that the 25-kilogram bag of rice dropped from 9,000 to 7,000. If the customer chooses to make purchases at the well-known “Tudo Cheap” store , the savings in the purchase of cereal is 2,500 kwanzas. sign the same price fixed for a 25-kilogram bag of cornmeal.
As for the frescoes, Paula Matias defends a more active inspection by the related bodies, to prevent each trader from practicing abusive prices, to a certain extent harmful to the rights of citizens.
According to her, the big problem lies in the fact that, normally, the prices of a given month are no longer the same in the following month, which always contributes to the reduction of the purchasing power of families.
He exemplified the case of the 20-kilogram box of horse mackerel, which before the payment of wages is sold at 23,000 kwanzas, but after the workers receive their wages, it always registers an increase of up to 4,000 kwanzas.
The director of the Economic Development Office in the province of Lunda-Sul, Kelson Malomalo, advanced the skills of the multidisciplinary teams created to monitor the various points of sale of different products, “because they will prevent individual price speculation initiatives, especially during the festive”.
Entrepreneurs, according to him, govern commercial activity in the light of Presidential Decree 11/30 of March 30, which prohibits the alteration of legislated prices in the formal table. That’s why, he said, six Chinese nationals had to pay a fine of more than one million last month for contradicting the measures of the authorities.
On the other hand, Filipe Matuca, a teacher, says he sometimes does not understand the passivity of the authorities, who show little or nothing to do, seeming to suffer from a normal situation.
For Professor Filipe Matuca, the government, after highlighting the focus on reducing the prices of the basic food basket, with the removal of customs fees (amount paid to customs to remove imported goods from the port area), should have a follow-up scrutiny of prices, in order to hold defaulters accountable.
For More News And Analysis About Angola Follow Africa-Press
