by Innocent Mvundula
When Sugar was scarce during Bingu wa Mutharika era the price went up unconditionally now the price is stable.
Currently Cement is scarce too in the country no one can refute this and it is no longer a secret under the bed. Minister of Trade Hon Sosten Gwengwe accepted this and has attributed against increasing prices beyond the recommended price of K7500 due to the current economic situation in the country.
The Minister made the remarks follows a meeting with cement manufacturing companies and importers which aimed at brainstorming and find possible solutions to curb the problem at hand.
Part of his remarks Hon Gwengwe has warned unscrupulous traders taking advantage of cement scarcity to raise prices will have their licenses revoked.
The Minister said cement producers such as Shayona Cement Limited, Cement Products Limited and Lafarge have not raised prices but traders are taking advantage of the situation.
Gwengwe said discussions with the Reserve Bank of Malawi have taken place to prioritise issuing forex to cement importers to deal with the challenge.
Currently most retailers are selling a 50kg bag cement at k10, 000 and more taking advantage of the current situation in the country.
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