Traders have asked the government to investigate the cause of soaring prices for commodities in the country.
They allege that some manufacturers are deliberately cutting production to create scarcity and hike prices as a result of increased demand for their commodities.
“Government should investigate the cause of soaring prices because we are getting information that some manufacturers are cutting production intending to take advantage of the situation to earn money," said the spokesperson of United Arcaders, Traders and Entrepreneurs Association (UATEA), Moses Rwegaba.
The traders' request came at a time when the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) officials have equally tasked the government to investigate the matter
“Something is wrong because the tax on soap took effect in July. Assuming there was a lag effect, our data shows that by July the prices had not changed considerably. So, the government needs to investigate this issue,” said the Executive Director of UBOS, Chris Mukiza, in a media statement issued over the weekend.
The traders' woes started early this year (around February) when commodity prices for soap, sugar, cooking oil and smearing oil, among others, started rising.
By the end of February, statistics from UBOS indicated that prices of some commodities like soap and other detergents had gone up by 85%. For example, a bar of soap is currently selling between sh8000 – sh10,000 from sh3500 (at the beginning of the year).
Source: New Vision