Ghee Saga Exposes Exploitative Practices In Fiji

While the recent reduction in the price of ghee is a welcome relief for consumers, it highlights a troubling trend of traders taking advantage of consumers in Fiji. The Consumer Council is contented to see that, following widespread public concern and regulatory intervention, the price of ghee has returned to more reasonable levels. However, this entire episode should never have occurred in the first place.

The sudden spike in ghee prices, which saw an increase of over $7 within just a few weeks, is a stark example of how some traders in Fiji exploit consumers without justification.

“It took the intervention of the Council to bring this issue to light and demand action, but had we not raised the alarm, consumers would have been left to bear the brunt of unjustified price hikes,” says Council CEO Seema Shandil. “This is not an isolated case — we witnessed a similar pattern with chicken prices a few months ago, where prices only normalized after regulatory bodies stepped in.”

The Council would like to remind traders and suppliers that such exploitative practices will not go unchecked, and we will continue to push for stringent actions to be taken against them if they continue to engage in these deceptive practices.

“The Council will continue collaborating with relevant regulatory bodies to hold businesses accountable for deliberately misleading and exploiting consumers. We will continue to campaign for stricter penalties and substantial fines for traders who take advantage of consumers, including those involved in price gouging,” said CEO Seema Shandil.

The Council also extends appreciation to the Shree Sanatan Dharam Purohit Brahmin Maha Sabha Fiji, and consumers for raising alerts and lodging complaints at the Council regarding the issue. Their involvement also helped to ensure that the concerns of the community were heard and that action was taken swiftly.

While the Council will continue its ongoing surveillance of supermarkets and suppliers, we call on consumers to remain vigilant. If anyone notices unjustified price increases or suspicious market behaviour, we urge them to lodge complaints with the Council immediately via the Toll-Free National Consumer Helpline:155, or via complaints@consumersfiji.org.

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