The Liberian rice wahala-mania is lifting its head again under the Unity Party government which has been fanning off its rise in the last few months, vowing not to allow it happen.
But sadly, this paper has gathered that rice shortage is imminent on the Liberian market due to the delays by the Management of APM Terminals Liberia Limited to allow rice vessels to urgently berth at the Freeport of Monrovia.
According to information available to this paper, the Management of APM Terminals Liberia Limited has given the general cargos vessels more priority in berthing at the Freeport of Monrovia than the rice vessels, something that has the propensity to create shortage of rice on the local market.
To make matter worst, it is said that rice vessels face this problem at the Freeport of Monrovia during the raining season that is ongoing.
Document in possession of this paper reveals that the management of K&K paid US$ One Million to berth at the Freeport of Monrovia but has not berthed at the port since the payment.
The management has made a passionate appeal to the Management of APM Terminals Liberia Limited to prioritize the berthing of its rice vessel at the port so that they can quickly get their rice out of the vessel for sale on the local market but to no avail.
The management has also made representations to the Management of the Free Port of Monrovia and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry regarding the matter but there has been no redress to its concern.
As a result of the lack of cooperation from the Management of the APM Terminals Liberia Limited, most of the importers are running out of rice from their various ware houses.
During a visit to several of the ware houses of the rice importers over the weekend, the quantity of bags of rice has drastically reduced and the need to bring more rice cannot be overemphasized.
Meanwhile, the price of rice has climbed up from US$18.50 to almost US$20.00 due to situation at the Freeport of Monrovia.
A survey conducted by this paper confirmed the latest increment of a price of 25kg bag of parboiled rice to LD$3600, which is almost US$20.00.
Most of the market places visited in Duala, Bushrod Island, Waterside, Rally Town and Paynesville show that the price of a 25kg bag of parboiled rice stands at LD$3600.
This means that the hike in the price of the rice runs contrary to the Government of Liberia(GoL) stipulated price of US$18.50.
Some marketers have described the latest increment in the price of rice as astronomical and called on the Government of Liberia to come to their as they are finding it difficult to purchase a 25kg bag of parboiled rice.
“It is not easy to purchase a 25kg bag of parboiled rice nowadays because the price has jumped up. The GoL needs to do something about this because it is we the ordinary Liberians bearing the pains,’’ asserted Madam Musu Williams, a local rice seller in Duala.
Like Madam Williams, several other marketers at Waterside, Rally Town and Paynesville expressed similar frustrations of the hike in the price of rice.
“We don’t know where we are heading to. The government must move in quickly and address the unbearable rice situation,’’ they pleaded.
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