The Surinamese Ministry of Trade, Industry and Tourism announced in a press release that as a consequence of a prolonged heatwave in Europe, the prices of imported goods, mainly potatoes and onions, will continue to rise.
“The prolonged dry weather in Europe results in a scarcity of potatoes and onions, among other products. This means the prices of these products have risen sharply in recent weeks. We expect the line will continue to rise for the next three months.”
A bag of potatoes, photo: Ministry of Trade, Industry and Tourism.
The Ministry’s keeping an eye on the developments on the European market, and to boost their own production, measures will be taken in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture, Cattle Breeding and Fisheries to supply the local market and to ensure the availability of basic goods.
In spite of scarce resources, the Economic Control Service (ECS) carries out monthly actions regarding price control in shops as well as for wholesalers and importers. For now, no differences in prices for importers and retail worth mentioning have been noted, which indicates the price increase isn’t spiteful.
Considering the circumstances, the ECS will continue to keep a close eye on the situation in shops. The community is asked to use the Ministry’s COZA-app to report any suspicions of prices being forced up. The ECS will investigate any report. It’s worth mentioning that not every price rise means prices are being forced up.
“The government regrets individuals have spread messages that the rising prices would have anything to do with measures announced by the government about the salary increases of civil servants. These messages should be considered panic-mongering and agitating,” says the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Tourism via the National Information Institute (NII).