Minister of Trade and Industry, Vitumbiko Mumba, made a surprise visit to Chipiku Plus Supermarket in Lilongwe after receiving reports that the store was hoarding sugar.
Buyers were told that the shop was out of sugar, but it was discovered that management had secretly stopped selling sugar to the general public, while still supplying it to select individuals.
Upon discovering bales of sugar in the warehouse, the Minister accompanied by the Secretary for Trade and Industry and the CEO of the Competition and Fair Trading Commission (CFTC), directed the shop management to immediately restock the shelves with the hoarded sugar, allowing customers to purchase it.
Mumba stated that the tendency is creating a distorted and artificial panic regarding sugar availability in the country and it has to stop.
Lloyds Vincent Nkhoma, CEO of the Competition and Fair Trading Commission (CFTC), condemned the sugar hoarding, stating that it constitutes a serious breach of the Competition and Fair Trading Act.
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