A bill to control the price of basic foods goes to parliament

A bill to identify and control the prices of basic foods keeping it at an available to the people has been presented at the Parliament.

The bill presented by the MP of the Komandoo constituency, MDP’s Ahmed Naashid says that the prices of 12 foods have to be controlled.

Foods to be sold at controlled prices:

- Rice

- Sugar

- Flour

- Cooking Oil

- Salt

- Lentils

- Chicken Eggs

- Potatoes

- Onions

- Normal spice power used by Maldivians

- Frozen Chickens

- Teabags

MP Naashid’s bill says that the name for the general foods, the country of production, the common name and the technical names has be decided by the relevant government institute with six months after the bill becomes a law.

The bill says that the wholesale prices on basic foods cannot exceed above 30 percent of the total price after Maldives Customs Service decies of the CIF or the CNF price to the importing party.

“And the retail seller has to buy from the wholesale seller and sell without exceeding 20 percent of the wholesale price” According to the bill.

It if is sold or bought against those regulations, they would be fined by 300 percent of the goods the first time and 600 percent from then on.

The bill says that if it continues after a third fine, there is a prison sentence of 6 – 12 months.