Drew to question supermarkets over grocery prices, but no meeting date or relief measures set
The Prime Minister says retailers must justify every dollar on the shelf, though he stopped short of accusing anyone of price gouging and gave no timetable for talks.
BASSETERRE, St Kitts. Prime Minister Dr Terrance Drew says he will call in supermarket operators and Consumer Affairs officials to examine what is driving up grocery prices, but the government has not said when the meeting will take place or what it expects to come out of it.
Speaking to the media on 5 November, Dr Drew said he wanted retailers to set out the cost of bringing everyday goods to market, using a bag of rice as a starting point, and to identify where shelf prices could come down.
"Justify to me every dollar and every cent," Dr Drew said of retailers.
He was careful not to accuse operators of wrongdoing. He said he was not claiming that retailers were gouging, and that the operators he had met meant well. He floated a three month or six month plan to run until the current crisis passes, but did not commit to either.
The Office of the Prime Minister, which released the remarks on Monday, gave no date, time or venue for the talks. No supermarkets or officials were named, and no price targets, specific measures or deadline for a plan were announced. Dr Drew said he was prepared to check prices in stores himself and promised to report the outcome to the public.
He acknowledged that higher overseas supplier prices and freight charges push up costs before goods reach the shelf, and said operators would be given the chance to explain those pressures.
The government points to steps already taken. In February the Department of Consumer Affairs launched the SKN Smart Shopper app, whose price tracker compares the cost of an essential basket across retailers. Earlier this year shipping surcharges were temporarily excluded from customs tax and duty calculations, the gasoline excise tax was cut from EC$1.95 to EC$0.98 per gallon and the customs service charge on gasoline was halved to 3 per cent.
At the same 5 November roundtable Dr Drew signalled limits to further help. "You can only give so much," he said of fuel subsidies, while pledging that support for gasoline, diesel and cooking gas would continue. The government has not stated an end date for those subsidies or how much they will cost.
