PM calls on Church, village leaders to reduce food contributions

The Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Dr. Sailele Malielegaoi, has called on church leaders and village councils to reduce the amount of food people are required to bring to events in an effort to counter the cost of living.

The Prime Minister made the call during his weekly media programme, in which he announced that tinned fish cases (apa elegi) and corned beef cases have reduced in size.

A case of tinned fish is now $27.80 versus last year was $42. Corned beef now $103.50; in the past it was $180 per case.

“In the past the tinned cases consisted of 48 cans; which was reduced to 24 and currently down to a dozen. And this means the price has also reduced,” said Tuilaepa.

“These are efforts to assist our people, given our country encounters family, church and village obligations all the time.  

“The Government has put out this mandate to the wholesalers in 2017 and it should have been implemented by 2018, and yet a year later it finally came through."

The Prime Minister criticised  business-owners for taking their time to work on the mandates by the Government. 

“The vision behind it is to lessen the financial burden on our people, as our people are encountered by family obligations (funerals, weddings, etc,.) all the time and this is one way the government can help by reducing the volume and the price will decrease as well," he said. 

He acknowledged the strong support of Minister for Revenue, Tialavea Tionisio Hunt, and the Revenue C.E.O., Galumalemana Avalisa Viali-Fautua'ali'i, for taking action on the matter. 

According to the Prime Minister, wholesalers are not selling tinned fish in tomato sauce, just oil. 

“And in the future and there is a need to reduce it down to six tinned cans per case, I don’t see why we can’t do it; just as well for the case of corned beef (three pounder) which consisted of six cans and it has been reduced to four where it should’ve have been just three in a case,” said the Prime Minister.