Pressure mounts for retail and pharmaceutical companies

Some retail shops and pharmaceutical companies in Bulawayo have closed down following the pressure on the fluctuating and unstable exchange rate while commuter operators plying local routes in Bulawayo also increased their fares by 50 percent.
While most retail shops are still stocked with daily basic commodities, cooking oil was the only item not available in major supermarkets. However commodities like rice, sugar and flour are being rationed.
While the price of petrol and diesel had not yet increased at fuel stations, commuter omnibus bus operators have however effected price increases on fares arguing it is to cushion themselves against increases for motor vehicle spares.
Pharmaceutical operators say the bulk of their products are imported and they source the foreign currency from the informal market leaving them with no option other than to raise the prices of the products.
Consumers have called upon the government to intervene in the control of prices and make basic commodities available in the shops.