By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

WITH rising food prices expected to become a concern, Social Services Minister Obie Wilchcombe said the situation is being monitored.

“We’re monitoring the situation to determine the level to which food prices do increase after which we will certainly be preparing for the Bahamian people needing assistance,” he told The Tribune yesterday. “I think it’s imperative to point out that persons, without the food prices being high, we have thousands of Bahamians today who are requiring assistance and that continues and we are providing the assistance.

“So obviously the projected increase and it causes concern, but I think we still have to ask ourselves why and what can be done to ensure that the prices are not at a point where they are beyond the average Bahamian.”

While COVID-19 has already challenged the pockets of many Bahamians, Super Value’s principal recently said he is battling supply chain disruption “every minute of the day” while reassuring that possible eight to 10 percent Christmas price rises will not be “across the board.”

The Department of Social Services took over the National Food Distribution Task Force on October 4. The minister assured the programme will continue.

He explained: “I think the misinterpretation was that the government programme that was initiated by the former administration that came to an end that took forth predicated upon their schedule not our schedule. Our programmes continue.

“We have been able to receive from that body 18,000 vouchers that were unused and when we found a surplus of more than a million dollars that we’ve now recovered and they have provided with us that’s going back into the programme that we’re providing on a continuous basis.”

Susan Larson, former chair of the food task force, previously noted that at the height of the programme, 57,000 households registered for food assistance. During the last phase of the programme, she said about 18,000 households across the country were registered and the numbers had been getting smaller incrementally week by week.

When asked for an estimate for persons currently on the programme, Mr Wilchcombe said: “….Once we’ve looked at all those who’ve been on the programme and been assisted by the national food network, you might be around 14,000 - 15,000.”