March 2001 Basic Needs and Nutrition Basket: Price Stability, Decrease and Increase Characterise Food Basket

According to Muweme Muweme, Coordinator of the Economic and Social Development Research Project, the price of mealie meal, cooking oil, eggs, salt, Vaseline, for example, has shown a very marginal decrease as compared. to last month's cost while meat and wash soap have recorded marginal price increase. However, charcoal has recorded a very high increase. This is because of transportation and other difficulties associated with its production during the rainy season. The increase in the price of charcoal from K26,000 to K38,000 for two 90 kg bags for a family of six has accounted significantly for the rise in the cost of the food basket which now stands at K335,300 from the February figure of K328,080.