8 May, 2008

Zainu Bassie, Freetown

Food Prices Continue to Rise in Sierra Leone

There is increasing fear that hunger has now worsened in Sierra Leone as basic prices of food stuffs across the country continue to escalate on a daily basis and this is causing serious problems in homes as most people cannot afford the money to buy enough food to feed their dependants well.

Rice the country’s staple food, is now sold at Le 110,000 per a bag of 50 kilos and palm oil is going for Le 50,000 for a 5 gallon container. All other foodstuffs and fruits are also very prohibitively expensive.

The incivility of the country’s agricultural sector to boost production of local crops has also imposed the majority to the level of poverty. Thus the situation has now worsened which consistently makes the United Nations rank Sierra Leone as one the poorest countries in the world.

At one time, the World Food Program (WFP) expressed fear that the worlds poorest countries, including Sierra Leone, will buy less food that has less nutrients or be compelled to rely on international aid.

Just after a conference held by the European Parliament early this year, Mrs. Jesette Sheauran said that the WFP needed an extra $375 million for food projects for the year and another $125 million to transport them to the markets

She said Governments needed to look very carefully at the link between the increase of bio fuels and food supply and give more though to it.

With a country that is rated at the bottom of the list of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Human Development Report, the price hike would further compound the already worsening poverty situation in the country plagued by malnutrition and a high infant mortality rate.

Most petty traders who sell local food stuffs across the country are themselves grumbling with the increase and want something urgently done to resolve the situation.

President Ernest Bai Koroma is on record as saying that his Government would address the issue of price as well as rice production in the country after he has successfully gained 71 % of energy and power supply in the country.

“In the time that we wait for him to achieve this objective before turning his attention to food production perhaps we will be eating electricity current,” a political critic remarked

Stay with Sierra Express Media, for your trusted place in news!