WARNING: This is Version 1 of my old archive, so Photos will NOT work and many links will NOT work. But you can find articles by searching on the Titles. There is a lot of information in this archive. Use the SEARCH BAR at the top right. Prior to December 2012; I was a pro-Christian type of Conservative. I was unaware of the mass of Jewish lies in history, especially the lies regarding WW2 and Hitler. So in here you will find pro-Jewish and pro-Israel material. I was definitely WRONG about the Boeremag and Janusz Walus. They were for real.
Original Post Date: 2008-04-18 Time: 00:00:00 Posted By: Jan
The lack of action by government regarding high food prices has left poor consumers stranded, the National Consumer Forum (NCF) said on Friday.
“It is the democratic responsibility of government, and the moral responsibility of the private sector, to work with civil society and find solutions to this crisis,” said NCF chairperson Thami Bolani.
He said government needed to do more to guarantee food security for the majority of consumers.
“It is not enough just to keep collecting statistics about a crisis as it develops – government needs to be making plans and acting on them, to ensure that the country can afford to feed itself.”
| ‘We also need more investment in rural areas’ |
He said that while South Africa was part of a global economy, affected by external factors, there were internal factors that could be addressed to fight food inflation such as lack of sufficient competition in the marketplace and the resulting profiteering.
He said there was also not enough support to farmers, in particular emerging farmers, from government institutions like the Land Bank.
“We also need more investment in rural areas. Much has been said about cooperatives, but there are few success stories.”
Mismanagement and inefficiencies at state institutions like Eskom were also problematic.
“The electricity price increase that Eskom wants is unacceptable and unaffordable, especially in the current climate when food prices, petrol prices and interest rates are so high.”
Bolani said electricity price hikes would aggravate food prices, and would make every food producer or manufacturer raise their prices.
However, consumers also had a role to play in campaigning against high food prices.
“Consumers have the right to vote with their wallets, purses and feet. This tactic was used to great effect during the campaign against apartheid,” said Bolani.
Education should also be addressed to help consumers cope with inflation.
“We need to use information to ensure that consumers are empowered to make the right decisions in the market place,” he said.
Such education included buying in bulk, especially in disadvantaged areas; buying at discount stores; budgeting properly, rather than buying on impulse or on credit; getting rid of debt; finding the outlets with the cheapest basket of goods and testing and buying ‘no- name brand’ products to save money.
The public broadcaster needed to be more pro-active in airing and promoting these issues, said Bolani. – Sapa
Source: http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?art_id=nw20080418121916791C320756