MONROVIA, Septe

mber 3 (LINA) - The Government of Liberia has called on consumers to report cases of arbitrary hike in the prices of basic commodities, including food and non-food items in the country.
Addressing the Ministry of Information daily press briefing held at the Charles Gbenyon Hall on Wednesday, Information Minister Lewis Brown warned that anyone caught in such practice will be treated as “a common criminal.”

Brown said as the government and the people struggle in these difficult times of national disaster, they are counting on the cooperation and participation of everyone, including business partners, and not persons trying to inflame the already disastrous situation faced by citizens.

He noted that the government does not need unscrupulous individuals who are profiteering on the deceptive note that basic commodities in the country will soon go out of stock.

The Minister, who said a 25kg bag of rice is now sold for between US$14 andUS$16s for urban communities and US19 to US$20 for rural communities, explained that the current stock of rice expected to arrive in Liberia on September 21, is over 29,000 metric tons.

He said the price of a gallon of gasoline currently stands at US $4.18 or L$ 345, while US$4.28 or L$355 is the price for a gallon of diesel fuel and that cement price in rural Liberia is between US$9 to US$10 and urban communities at US$8.85 to US8.75 per a 50 kilo gram bag.

He disclosed that hotline numbers 0886-559-224; 0886-516-171, 0886-516-006; 0880-649-103; 020-721-5031; 020-721-5045 and 020-721-5023 can be used to contact authorities of the Ministry of Commerce to report arbitrarily hike in prices.
LINAWTD/TSS/PTK