Govt should introduce food subsidy policy

THE Government needs to introduce a food subsidy policy to help poor citizens out of poverty.
The prices of rice, flour, oil, sugar, tinned fish and noodles and other food items are soaring.
The prices seem to rise every week.
If you visit a store or supermarket after a month or two, you will notice increase in prices.
This is happening at an alarming rate.
The Government should take this seriously and address it.
Papua New Guineans are feeling the pinch of the rise in food prices in shops.
Papua New Guinea should not be connoted as the land where food is plentiful.
Many working-class people will agree with me on that.
As Christian and Melanesian nation, we live in extended families and we try to support each other in times of need and food is no exception.
Seeing the rise in food prices, many families are not able to support their loved ones. The number of homeless people is increasing as well.
Papua New Guinean Families cannot take in extra persons into their homes because of the unbearable costs of affording food and other necessities.
It is very said to see people suffering in silence while the Government is trying to paint a false image to the world that we are still okay and self-sustaining in terms of food.
We can see that everyone is fighting for their day-to-day survival, especially in our towns and cities.
Hunger and lack of proper food is affecting people.
We cannot say that one shoe fits all.
Not all Papua New Guineans have lands.
The Government should consider orphans and those who do not have land.
The rise in food prices makes it very challenging for average income-earners to put food on the table.

Maru Igabi