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Prices of basic commodities continue to skyrocket
Valentine Maponga, The Standard (Zimbabwe)
October 17, 2004

http://www.thestandard.co.zw/read.php?st_id=775

THE prices of basic commodities have drastically shot up well beyond the reach of ordinary Zimbabwean workers in the past three months despite reports of the falling inflation rate, The Standard has established.

As a result of the regular price increases now being effected almost on a fortnightly basis, most Zimbabweans are failing to make ends meet and can now only afford one meal a day.

According to figures compiled by the Consumer Council of Zimbabwe (CCZ) a packet of 2kg white sugar was going for $2 800 in August but rose to $5 680 in September.

A 750 ml bottle of cooking oil shot up from $7 500 to $10 280 during the same period, while a bar of washing soap is selling at $9 250 up from $7 300 while a 500ml packet of fresh milk rose from $2 486 to $3 080.

"Whenever I come to buy household food stuff I carry with me an extra $2 000 for each product because every time I go shopping there would be new price tags," said Mr Ennita Sigauke, as she picked up a handful of commodities for her family in Harare on Wednesday.

The consumer watchdog said a family of six required a minimum of $1 494 700 in September up from $1 400 078 a month before.

This is despite reports that the country's year-on-year inflation went down by 62,9 percentage points to 251,5 percent by the end of September.

The CCZ public relations manager, Tonderai Mukeredzi, expressed concern at the recent increases saying they seriously eroded family incomes. He said there were serious discrepancies between what most people were earning and what they have to spend on food and transport.

"The CCZ is concerned that basic commodities continue to be priced beyond the reach of many consumers. Recent increases in the price of fuel and landline phones have triggered a wave of price increases," the CCZ said.

The consumer watchdog is currently lobbying for a minimum wage of $1 400 000, in line with the poverty datum line. Most people in the country get a net salary of less than $750 000, making life unbearable, Mukeredzi said.

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