Fiji's Consumer Council says it supports the government's effort to help the poor.
Its Chief Executive Officer, Premila Kumar, says the interim government's price controls on basic food items have allowed them to give food vouchers to poor people and assistance has been offered to them to rebuild homes damaged by Cyclone Tomas.
But she says in particular, the price of hardware goods is far too high and the government needs to review the sector.
"Right now after the cyclone yes people need food, but they also need shelter. And when it comes to shelter, the price of hardware is really exorbitant and when you compare the price from the various hardware shops, there isn't much difference. So this has been a concern for the council for the last couple of years. And now the government would like to look into this sector very closely as its affecting the development of the country and also the economy."
Fiji Consumer Council CEO, Premila Kumar.