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Food
prices reaching crisis proportions – survey
Rising
food prices are hurting the public severely and people say
they want action now!
“While
rising food prices are having a telling effect on the common
man’s budget, the threat of a Darfur-like calamity is
looming on the horizon. As the general populace struggles
to cope with the rising costs of transport, cooking gas and
electricity, a corresponding hike in food prices may just
be the last straw for many who barely eke out a living on
meagre earnings,” says the latest edition of Business
magazine LMD – reporting on an exclusive monthly undertaken
by research firm TNS Lanka.
The magazine, which was released to leading bookstores and
supermarkets on Friday, August 1, says: “An overwhelming
majority – more than 95% of respondents, in fact –
agree that the prices of essential food items have now reached
crisis proportions. They also note that the cost of living
is constantly on the way up, while most people’s salaries
are becoming increasingly inadequate to meet basic needs.”
According to LMD, the islandwide survey reveals that “over
80% of those polled blame the Government for the present situation,
pointing out the administration’s penchant for excessive,
unnecessary spending”.
The troubled airline Mihin Lanka, it reports, is singled out
by many respondents as being a case in point.
So,
how should the Government contain the food crisis?
“Respondents to our poll believe that people should be
encouraged to take up agriculture and be educated about alternative
cultivation methods. More research and development into seed
paddy and other grain with high yields should be set in motion,
they urge, and the Government should consider subsidising
private-sector entities who are willing to develop agriculture-based
products,” says LMD.
The May issue of the leading Business magazine also carries
an exclusive interview with young entrepreneur Ashok Pathirage,
who has been in the news lately – for his trailblazing
business acquisitions. Pathirage appears on the cover of the
widely read Business magazine and his interview brings to
light some intriguing insights into how the next generation
of Business leaders view their prospects both here and abroad.
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