Agriculture Minister Gives Update on Supplies Control Act
The Briceño administration has been grappling with the global impact of inflation since the beginning of the year and established a cabinet sub-committee back in March to address a number of issues, including price gouging. Following the creation of that taskforce, the Supplies Control Amendment Bill was also taken to the House of Representatives. Meetings were also held with the Belize Chinese Association, as well as the Indian community, to discuss the unfair practice of increasing the prices of goods, services, and commodities beyond what is reasonable. In a Cabinet meeting held on Wednesday, Agriculture Minister Jose Abelardo Mai provided an update, recommending changes to the Supplies Control Act that would include the use of a ticketing mechanism for such violations. Likewise, Cabinet granted a review of the present list of regulated goods. It also agreed to expand the list of goods that are subject to regulation under the Supplies Control Act. That list will be made up of forty food and non-food items.