The high cost of living is the subject that is dominating the news. On Sunday, 10 April, the prices of Blédor and Les Moulins de la Concorde products will be 15% higher and Bega products will be between 10 and 13% higher. Jayen Chellum and Nando Bodha propose solutions.
Upcoming increases as of 10 April
The CML table is detailed. Self Raising Flour of 1 Kg will come out from Rs 45 to Rs 51.53, Wheat Flour of 2 kg will come out from Rs 55 to Rs 63, White Flour of 2 kg from Rs 52 to Rs 59.99 and Pastry Flour, Chapati Flour, Bran Bread Flour, Greo Flour, Faratha Flour, Multi Purpose Flour of 1 kg from Rs 39 to Rs 45 each.
For Bega brand butter and cheeses, the increase is between 10 and 13 per cent. Thus Unsalted butter 250g will go up from Rs 99 to Rs 111 (+12.1%), Tasty Cheddar Block 250g from Rs 135 to Rs 149 (+10.4%), Strong & Bitey Cheddar Bloc 250g from Rs 135 to Rs 149 (+10.4%) and Black Pepper Slices 200g from Rs 82 to Rs 92.50 (+12.8%).
Extension of the list of controlled products
The most concerned are campaigning for the household basket to weigh more in terms of products but less in terms of price. Jayen Chellum, Secretary-General of the Mauritius Consumers’ Association, at a press conference on Thursday called for the list of controlled products to be extended to include recently increased products and those that are on the way up such as basmati rice, frozen fish, sausages, meat, chicken, canned goods
The government had put Rs 500 million in July 2021 to keep the prices as they were in January 2021, it will have to renew this amount to keep the prices practicable at this time. This will cost them a total of Rs1.2bn for the benefit of consumers.
Jayen Chellum met the finance minister on Wednesday, April 6, as part of the 2022/2023 pre-budget proposals. He requested that a price control mechanism be put in place to alleviate those at the bottom of the social ladder. He also called for the removal of taxes on a multitude of basic and most consumed products by the Mauritian consumer. He also recommended the introduction of a 5% Tax Band for salaries up to Rs 45,000 but the extension of the 10% Tax Band.
Nando Bodha’s 4 proposals
Nando Bobah is alarmed by the situation and proposes some options to the government. After his party, the Rassemblement Mauricien published a long list of products that have gone up in price recently, Nando Bodha, calls for “a voucher system for the most vulnerable people to be introduced. The tax on petroleum products that automatically raise prices should be lowered. The government must put in place a system of control over traders who cause artificial shortages by even raising prices. Finally, we must come up with the achievement of food self-sufficiency, or Mauritius will produce what it eats and eat what it produces.
