Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Professor Biman Prasad has warned of potential measures to address the rising food prices, particularly concerning ghee and chicken.

Professor Prasad says while the price of ghee has started to go down, they have asked the Fijian Competition and Consumer Commission to look into the sudden price changes of ghee and chicken.

He says the government is providing a 42 percent duty protection to local chicken producers so to help them thrive and produce enough for local consumption.

“At the moment, the government not only provides duty protection, but the government has also restricted the import of whole chicken from overseas. And my message to the producers is, if there are unscrupulous price settings happening between the producers and the retailers, then the government will have no option, but to put up price control, and the government will also consider opening up the import of whole chicken from overseas.”

The Finance Minister says they are committed to ensuring a level playing field through its tax policies and duties.

Prasad warns they will not tolerate any kind of unscrupulous pricing of products consumed by Fijians on a daily basis.

“Government is doing its part, providing significant duty protection and import restriction, and we want the producers to play their part . Make sure that there is enough that is being produced to satisfy the market, and the prices are reasonable. I also want to warn the retailers, supermarkets, that the pricing of some of these products, which are a part of daily consumption for a large majority of our people, that they should not engage in unscrupulous price setting mechanisms.”

The Finance Minister is also expected to meet with FCCC on Friday to discuss further actions.

Meanwhile, the FCCC Chief Executive, Joel Abraham earlier confirmed that they have written to both major suppliers in Fiji requesting clarification on the current supply situation and any changes to pricing.

He says while both manufacturers have indicated there are no price increases or supply issues, they have received conflicting reports from retailers.