KINGSTON, Jamaica— Opposition spokesman on finance Julian Robinson is standing by his claim of a sharp rise in the prices of basic food items in the past five years despite a strong rebuttal from Finance Minister Dr Nigel Clarke.

Making his contribution to the 2021-2022 budget debate last week, Robinson charged that since 2016 many Jamaican households have had to cut back on basic food because of the increase in prices.

“Most households coped with food shortages by eating smaller meals or eating fewer meals per day. It doesn’t help our situation that since 2016 the cost of basic food items has skyrocketed. The cost of salt fish, cooking oil, chicken back, and rice, for instance have all increased over 100 per cent. Food poverty has exacerbated,” said Robinson as he pointed to a chart with what he said was the movement in some basic food items.

But in a quick response Clarke accused of Robinson of overstating the level of increases and selectively including some items while ignoring other basic food items, such as flour, which had seen a decrease in prices or remained largely unchanged.

According to Clarke, the numbers presented by Robinson were not supported by facts and were not credible.

But at a post budget media briefing put on by the Opposition People’s National Party this morning Robinson declared that he was confident that his numbers are correct.

“I had asked someone to do the research, but beyond doing the research I also go to the supermarket regularly so I have my receipt here… with the price of all these goods and in fact, some of the complaints I have gotten from people is that the prices I have stated are too low,” said Robinson.

“I welcome the [challenge from the] minister because I deal with this every week, I shop personally and I am in touch with the reality of what is happening in the country,” added Robinson as he pointed out that there will be price fluctuations based on where people shop and what brands they buy.

“But what we can say is that price movements have outstripped the inflation rates and they have outstripped the wage increases that workers have received.  Any by any stretch of the imagination, based on that basket of basic food items Jamaicans are worst off now than they were five years ago,” declared Robinson.

The finance minister is expected to deliver a full response to the claims by Robinson when he closes the budget debate next week.

 Arthur Hall