Cement dealers cry foul

Over 200 cement dealers under the banner of the Liberia Cement Dealers Association (LICDA) are crying foul over the failure by the authorities of the Ministry of Commerce and the Liberia Cement Corporation (CEMENCO) to recognize their role as retailers of the commodity, something, which they

say is creating shortage of the commodity on the market.

The LICDA members said the persistent attitude of distributors of the commodity to serve as retailers at the same time playing their role as distributors thereby ignoring their duties, has created serious difficulties for them to do business.

The cement dealers led by their President, Jordan J. Gongar, Acting Vice President, Sam T. Sayon and Acting Chief Scribe G. Varmah Moore, told this paper that although the Ministry of Commerce has set the price of the commodity at US7.50 per bag, some of these selected distributors in the cement business are selling at this exorbitant price to retailers, thereby making it difficult for them to buy and also sell at US$7.50.

They said that a distributor cannot be a retailer and a distributor of said commodity at the same time, which they consider detrimental to the members of LICDA. The cement dealers said there is an urgent need to define the respective roles and duties of distributors and retailers.

The cement dealers also called on CEMENCO, to avoid granting multiple distribution rights to more than one person something, which they stressed put others out of business to be distributors.

The retailers have also called for an increase of the current number of distributors and the need for CEMENCO to improve its current production facilities to meet the market demand.