I must admit that I view the government's plans to establish an agency to monitor food prices with a degree of scepticism. In principle, we in the IFP do not believe that government should set up a new layer of bureaucracy every time it is presented with a challenge. 

The truth remains that our people are feeling the adverse effects of the rising food and fuel prices. The public discontent is taking the form of protests and strikes, the most notable of which is expected to paralyse this country on Wednesday. 

As much as we feel the pain of the poor who are having to spend an increasing proportion of their modest income on food and energy, we cannot, in the long run, lend our support to any direct government intervention in the pricing of food - which the new government agency would undoubtedly strive to do. 

The ongoing crisis in Zimbabwe is a case in point. The government-enforced regulation of food prices in that country has undermined domestic food production and, consequently, led to empty shelves and long queues. 

The problem of rising food and fuel prices is a global one. What our government can do is to provide means-tested income support to the poor by way of grants and boost domestic agricultural production though incentives. 

An IFP government would not hesitate to provide the long overdue basic income grant, supplementary food vouchers to the poorest of the poor and feeding schemes to the school children in need. 

Nor would we shirk from exempting additional staple food items from the value added tax that is currently imposed on them making their market price unaffordable to many.  

I do not need to add that these measures do not require the establishment of a new food agency that would be undoubtedly costly to administer and whose efficiency may not be guaranteed.

Dr Lionel Mtshali
Leader of the Official Opposition 

Contact: Dr Lionel Mtshali, 083 256 4902