Zimbabwe is heading to a challenging Easter holiday with the prices of grain having increased by up to over 50% this week.
Roller meal increased by 52% with a 10kg now costing ZWD1.665.00 from ZWD1.099.00 whilst at the same time a tonne of wheat went up by 17.8% to ZWD 66 000 from ZWD 56 000 per metric tonne.
Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe (GMAZ) Chairman Tafadzwa Musarara said the current prices increments are substantial and millers cannot absorb the increases.
“The costs of packaging, labor, transport, electricity and imported wheat continue to militate against price stabilization efforts,” Musarara said.
Wheat bread flour also increased by 31% to ZWD 215 000 from ZWD 164 523 per metric tonne.
“The subsisting global food inflation crisis is causing serious head winds, and Zimbabwe is not spared,” Musarara said.
“Similar price increase of maize meal and bread flour are also being experienced in other regional countries such as Botswana, Southg Africa et al.”
Price increases in Zimbabwe have always been blamed to the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.
Prices of goods and services have been going up in Zimbabwe with the Food Poverty Line (FPL) for one person in March 2022 was $7,062.00 according to ZimStat.
The Total Consumption Poverty Line (TCPL) for one person stood at $9,708.00 in March 2022.
