He inspected some super markets in Lilongwe on Wednesday. These include Shoprite, Sana and Chipiku. But Trade and Industry Minister, Mark Katsonga expressed shock with how the shops are hiking prices for basic commodities.
He observed that prices of goods like sugar, laundry soap and cooking oil had risen as higher as 100 percent since 2022.
This is an issue Malawians have been complaining about with some storming the streets asking government to intervene. The problem is partly attributed to the government’s 25 percent kwacha devaluation in May last year.
Meanwhile, Katsonga has pledged to engage the traders and manufacturers, among others, on a roundtable discussion on the matter.
In March last year, the Minister had accused some cooking oil manufacturers of sabotaging the government after they resisted reducing prices for the commodity despite his several warning statements in the media.
