Kevin Meineke
Cape Town I refer to the article “Fuel prices falling, but food prices remain high”, Business Report, October 5.
Other than the international price of oil and the rand/dollar exchange, the cost of fuel to me, as a layman, always seems to involve some sort of “smoke and mirrors” approach. One can only hope that someone in government isn’t siphoning funds from the sale of fuel.
While the recent decrease in the petrol price is welcome, the increase in the diesel price is not. Does the food chain not depend almost entirely on diesel as fuel?
From the farmers’ tractors to the lorries that transport both raw and processed food to markets, shops, etc to the generators needed at present to keep refrigerators operating, are almost entirely diesel-fuelled.
With the recent adjustment of fuel prices, why did the government not decrease the petrol price by only R0.50 and use the other R0.50 to subsidise the diesel price to the tune of R0.50?
Would this not help to bring down rocketing food prices?
Would this not assist the country’s farmers?
The government seriously needs to take proper care of the farming community. It is very simple: no farmers, no food – a fact to which our government seems oblivious.
Cape Times
Do you have something on your mind; or want to comment on the big stories of the day? We would love to hear from you. Please send your letters to [email protected]