Grocery prices are too high, local Russell Islands leader says

Food prices are too high, says one local man

A concerned local man of the Russell Islands, in the Solomon Islands’ Central Islands Province, has told SIBC recent markups on essential groceries of more than 100 per cent have hit local families hard.

The local man, who requested anonymity, told SIBC most local stores around the island were adding a hundred-percent markup on their goods.

He said it was not affordable particularly for people living in rural areas on small incomes.

He called on the Price Control Unit within the Ministry of Commerce, Labour and Immigration to make regular visits to rural stores, such as stores in the Central Province, to standardise markup prices

“We need better monitoring of the prices,” he said. “And the main problem is no businesses (here) are re-trading.”