BRIDGETOWN (CMC):

In the face of soaring global oil prices, Barbadians are being warned to be ready for more price increases in food and other consumer items.

Stephen Worme, chief marketing officer of the Barbados Light & Power Company, and Sandra Olton, president of the Customs Brokers and Clerks Association, told local media here that consumers should cut out the excesses and stick to a strict budget in order to lessen the impact of oil prices.

"Everybody has to be conscious of the main areas in which their energy is being used and make whatever adjustments they can make now; it is important to do so," Worme stressed.

Likewise, Olton said the situation would not get better anytime soon and urged consumers to brace themselves for another round of increases.

The Barbados Government has been absorbing high energy cost but marketing executives questioned this policy.

"The time will probably come when government will not be able to maintain the subsidies at the level that they presently are," Worme warned.