The controlled price for sugar is going up with the new gazetted prices released a few days ago.
Brown sugar is going up to 88 cents per pound from 50 cents, and white sugar is going up to 98 cents per pound from 75 cents per pound.
Today, before we saw the gazetted price, the PM used technicalities to talk around the issue:
John Briceno, Prime Minister
"What we have done is that with the sugar being sold in bags that you go to the wave for you, that is controlled. What is not controlled is the one that is packaged, you know, with the labels and all of that, and so you buy one pound, five pound bags. That is not controlled. And that is open to anybody that would want to be able to package. Santander can do it. If you want to go and buy the sugar by the sack and want to package it, that's up to you. So no.
Reporter
"Santander would have to pre-package BSI sugar since they can't sell locally."
John Briceno, Prime Minister
"Well, then, okay, that's another thing that would have to be discussed because remember, now, Santander is starting to produce, will be producing refined sugar. And they have been asking to be able to sell on the local market, which is something that still has to be determined."
