~ food basket to be extended.~
PHILIPSBURG:--- The Minister of TEATT Roger Lawrence said at the Council of Minister's press briefing on Wednesday that due to the inflation and pressure that have been on the rise globally and the rise in the cost of living on St. Maarten his Ministry is committed to completing the census this year.
The census data will provide essential data on labor and income which would aid in their cost-of-living research.
The Ministry of TEATT also plans to extend the food basket to 68 items which would include a wider variety of essential items
Lawrence said to effectively address the issue of cost-of-living
research and actionable intelligence are first and for most necessary to his Ministry. The ministry will also be engaging in open discussions with major distributors on the island on this topic, so as to devise a sustainable approach to keeping essential goods within affordable pricing for consumers.
Questioned about governments action to relieve consumers on the skyrocketing of food prices the Minister said that his ministry plans to enhance the controls on food pricing while discussions are ongoing with the food distributors to ensure that basic food items remain at a reasonable price.
Lawrence said the high food prices are a global issue that has been affecting the world. However, he believes that when his initiatives are complete he would have a beneficial package for St. Maarten. He said at the moment there are 12 items that must be controlled “food basket” but when he is finished this will increase to 68 items.
The Minister lamented that price controls are essential and it's been ongoing and will also continue. He said another set of items that he is looking towards curbing the prices are building materials. He said there is a need to zoom in on these materials and ensure that the right matrix is in place.
