Sugar Supply Normalising, Says Council

Fiji Sugar Corporation says there is no sugar shortage.

The comments come in the face of growing revelations that some supermarkets around the country were distributing sugar sparingly.

Fiji Sugar Corporation commercial officer, Sachin Deo, said the company’s sales team was in constant contact with merchants to establish sugar needs.

Consumer Council of Fiji chief executive officer Seema Shandil confirmed the council received complaints of sugar shortages in supermarkets.

“Through market surveillance and consumer complaints during the initial phase of the current outbreak, the council had discovered that there was a shortage of sugar in supermarkets,” said Ms Shandil.

She said the shortage was exacerbated from stress on supply chains that resulted from the current COVID-19 situation and panic buying and hoarding.

Ms Shandil said supermarkets were also not able to restock shelves as fast as the products were being purchased by consumers.

The supply of sugar has begun to normalise, she said.

Ms Shandil said as a result of the period shortage and panic buyers, retailers can limit the quantity of any of the goods offered for sale – including sugar.

The Fijian Competition and Consumer Commission acknowledged receipt of queries from SunBiz, but did not respond when this edition went to press.

Complaints 

According to the council, it received 37 complaints/queries regarding sugar:

• nine of the 37 were against traders engaging in conditional selling of sugar – which is illegal.
• two were about the limit to the sale of sugar – which has been allowed, and
• 26 were about the increase in prices of sugar.

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