By Binta Jaiteh
Honourable Sulayman Saho, the National Assembly member for Central Badibou and member of the National Assembly select committee on Trade, Regional and Integration Employment disclosed that the committee will present a final report at the plenary for the members to debate regarding the skyrocketing price of basic commodities after their investigation and draft resolution where action can be taken for its implementation.
He noted that regulations should be in place, policies need to be revisited and also look at the people who are importing these commodities. He said this will be their next target when they reach Kombo and to know the position and what Government can do over this matter.
During the tour, he said the committee was able to visit the North Bank, Central River, and Upper River Regions and spoke to a group of people that included retailers, wholesalers, and consumers together with institutions like Area Councils.
With their consultations with the locales and relevant institutions, he said they were able to know a lot of issues saying the local produce is increasing and different prices levied on them this is an ongoing thing.
Meanwhile, he said they also looked at the transportation area concerning the people who live far after getting these commodities from the centers, and ‘’lumo’’ the cost of that becomes an increase. “We realized that the People also complained about their local produce like coos, poultry, and maize and its daily increment. The factor responsible for that, what we understand is that the income they earn from their local produce is used to buy essential commodities. If there is an increase in basic commodities it will affect the local produce.”
However, the select committee on trade and regional integration is mandated by the standing order to perform oversight on institutions that is under its purview, the committee work with the Ministry of Trade and rolled out purposely to find out about the factors responsible for the skyrocketing of basic commodities.