Monrovia – Mr. Eugene Nagbe, the Commissioner General of the Liberia Maritime Authority, on the September 29th edition of the OK Morning Rush claimed that “Liberia has a better rice price than Sierra Leone and Guinea” as a result the dealers are smuggling the commodity to other neighboring countries thereby creating artificial shortage in the country.
Fact Check Report By: Jerry Gaye | LVL Fact Checker
Mr. Nagbe’s claim was in reaction to the current acute scarcity of rice which has caused and a sharp hike in the price of the country’s staple on the market.
Earlier on September 28, a local daily reported that the “Global Food Crisis is dictating the increment in the current price of Rice in Liberian”. In the report, FrontPage Africa (FPA) claimed it has “discovered that 25kg of rice in the Gambia is sold for US$25 while 50kg is sold for US$45. In Nigeria, 25kg of local rice is US$40 while 25kg of imported rice is US$55.”
The newspaper furthered that, in “Côte d’ Ivoire: 25kg is sold for US$30.00 while 50kg is sold for US$50.00; Guinea: 25kg is priced at US$35.00 while 50kg is at US$55.00, the 25kg of the highest quality of rice in Sierra Leone is sold for US$25.00 and the lowest quality is US$25.”
Are these claims about the price of rice in these countries as compared to Liberia, correct?
Local Voices Liberia Fact Checking Desk has checked the price of rice in other countries in the sub-region to authenticate whether Liberia has a “better price” of rice than other countries.
We reviewed the World Food Program’s Humanitarian data updated on October 2, 2022 and found that a bag of 25kg imported rice is sold in Freetown, Sierra Leone for US$25.00 while the 25kg locally made rice is sold for US$28.00.
For Guinea, a 25kg bag of rice is sold for US$33.00 while it is also sold in Ivory Coast for US$$30.00. In Nigeria, a 25kg bag of locally made rice (OFADA) according to the National Bureau of Statistics is sold for $30.00 while the imported brand is sold for $38.00 and in The Gambia, price of 25kg bag of rice is sold for US$26.00.
What is the current Price of Rice in Liberia?
Before the start of ongoing rice crisis in Liberia, the retail price of a 25kg bag of rice was at $14.00 according to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. This means before the current scarcity, the price of a 25kg bag of rice was sold cheaper in Liberia than Sierra Leone, Guinea, Ivory Coast, The Gambia and Nigeria. However, the price of the commodity has now doubled at $30.00.
Conclusion
Following the careful review of credible data, we conclude that the prices listed by FrontPage Africa for rice in the selected West African countries are mostly correct. We also conclude that before the ongoing rice scarcity, Liberia had a “better” or lower price than Sierra Leone and Guinea as claimed by the Maritime Commissioner.
However, the current hike in the price of rice on the Liberian market due to scarcity has changed the situation.
You may contact us to fact check any claim or information relative to Liberia. Contact us on:Factcheck.localvoicesliberia@gmail.com or WhatsApp: +231880986778
