By Joe Dinga Pefok
Authorities of the Littoral Regional Delegation of Commerce, January 30, expressed fear that part of a large quantity of expired rice that was earlier discovered in the possession of a Douala based company, OLAMCAM, might be on sale in our local markets.
As many as 7000 bags of the expired rice are feared to be on sale.The story goes that on January 15, the Littoral Commerce Delegate, David Tsegui, probably following a tip off, led a control team to a warehouse belonging to OLAMCAM at Yupwe, in the outskirt of Douala, which is involved in rice trade. While at the warehouse, the control team discovered, after examination, that 15.000 bags of rice in the warehouse had expired.
The information on the bags clearly stated that the rice, which was imported from an Asian country, was supposed to be consumed before January 2009.But the control team might have simply ordered the company to immediately destroy the expired rice but for information found in the course of an investigation implicating the company with hoarding, as well as of having violated a convention which the Government signed with some companies, in March 2008.
The company was found to be one of the many that violated an agreement between government and business people to reduce the prices of basic commodities following tax reduction. The company had apparently hoarded the rice to sell at a higher price till it got expired.
After the discovery, the control team reportedly ordered the management of OLAMCAM to keep the 15.000 bags of rice intact. The Delegate reportedly wanted to inform his hierarchy of the issue, and get instruction on what should be done. But when the control team returned to the OLAMCAM warehouse on January 30, they discovered that only 8.000 bags of the expired rice were left.
The control team suspected that the company had put the 7000 bags of the expired rice into new bags and pushed them through agents into the local markets or they might have hidden them somewhere with the intention of putting them later into the market.
The discovery that 7.000 bags of the expired rice had disappeared got the authorities of the control team furious and they said the Ministry of Commerce would ensure that the company is severely sanctioned. The authorities also pointed out the lack of unconcern manifested by the company for the health of the population by putting out expired rice on the market.
Meantime, rumours are rife that the 7000 bags of rice, might not even have been put out into any market for fear that authorities of the Regional Delegation of Commerce might have been on the look out for suspicious rice. It seems the 7000 bags of expired rice might have been auctioned to some immoral traders.
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