Consumer Council: Zimbabwe Low Income Basket Down 0.63%

The Consumer Council of Zimbabwe (CCZ) says prices of some basic commodities in the country went down in the first half of January this year compared to a spike in prices between November and December last year.

CCZ director Rosemary Siyachitema told VOA Studio 7 a survey conducted by her organization in the past two weeks indicates that commodities which recorded price decreases include beef, margarine, cabbages and tomatoes.

She says beef prices went down by at least 60c due to improved slaughter stock supplies.
“The whole food basket has gone down by 0.63 percent,” she said. According to the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions and CCZ, an urban family of six in Zimbabwe needs at least $600 per month for basic necessities.

However, she is worried about the anticipated increase in the prices of mealie-meal as the nation prepares for the next crop harvest.

“There is always a shortage of maize between now and the next crop harvest. We have been importing our maize from Zambia where we understand that there are serious shortages of grains,” said Siyachitema.

Interview With Rosemary Siyachitema

Meanwhile, the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency says Zimbabwe’s year-on-year rate of inflation rate for December 2012 dropped to 2.91 percent, shedding a few percentage points on the November 2012 rate of 2.99 percent.