The Consumer Council of Fiji says consumers continue to face pressure from the rising cost of living, increasing prices of everyday goods and shortages of affordable items on supermarket shelves.
While making submissions before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Economic Affairs , Consumer Council CEO Seema Shandil revealed that formal complaints to the Fijian Competition and Consumer Commission increased by 320 percent, from 211 complaints to 888 complaints during the financial year under review.
She says more than half of the complaints involved price-controlled products, while trader inspections dropped by 42 percent during the same period.
Shandil says consumers are still struggling with rising prices, high mark-ups, import dependency and shortages of essential goods.
She highlighted that prices of everyday items such as noodles have increased from around $4 to more than $5, and questioned what action is taken when sudden price increases happen.
She says there are also cases where price-controlled goods are missing from supermarket shelves, forcing consumers to buy more expensive products instead.
Insert:Seema Shandil on goods missing from shelves
The Consumer Council also raised concerns about the shortage of locally made canned mutton in stores.
Shandil says suppliers told the Council they are waiting for a decision from the FCCC on a requested price increase, but this should not stop the product from being available on shelves.
She says stronger checks are needed to ensure affordable goods remain available for consumers and to stop artificial shortages in supermarkets.
The Consumer Council has also called for closer monitoring of pricing practices to determine whether price increases are caused by supply issues or unfair business practices.
