Immoral price increase

THE EDITOR: Please allow me to advise the public that the action by National Flour Mills to increase the price of rice from January 12 2004 is immoral, wrong and borders on illegality.

My reason for saying this is that NFM is mandated by law to tender out the shipping aspect of the rice imports via competitive bidding. This is not currently being done by NFM. The public must be made aware that freight payments for rice imports are paid in US dollars, as a result, the Minister of Industry and Enterprise must speak out and order NFM to return rice prices to the level prior to January 12 2004. How is the public to be assured that they are getting the most economic freight costs on rice imports if shipments of rice are not tendered? Please do something, Mr Valley.

STEVE THOMAS
Mt Lambert