The Competition and Fair Trading Commission (CFTC) has said it will take action against traders who are demanding customers to buy other goods in order to be allowed to purchase sugar from their shops.
This comes as there has been a scarcity of sugar on the Malawian market and some traders are taking advantage of the situation by tying sugar to the purchase of other goods in their shops.
In some shops, customers are being demanded to buy items worth over K1000 in order to be allowed to buy sugar In a statement released by CFTC, signed by its Executive Director, Lloydes Vincent Nkhoma, the Commission says the malpractice is a violation of Section 32(2)(d) of the Competition and Fair Trading Act (CFTA).
“Traders are, therefore, warned that the CFTC will take to task anyone found engaging in the malpractice. Consumers and the general public are also encouraged to report such malpractices to CFTC,” indicated the statement.
CFTC has further highlighted that the conduct is unreasonable and it is also a violation of section 43(1)(g) of CTFA.
The statement also says that since January 2024, CFTC has been conducting investigations against five chain stores for various offences that relate to the sale of sugar such as holding of sugar with intention to sell at a higher prices, charging higher prices for sugar while issuing lower valued receipts and charging exorbitant prices for the product.
