October 2020 Basic Needs and Nutrition Basket Statement:Cost of Living Remains High as the Nation looks to the 2021 Budget

The JCTR’s BNNB for the month of September 2020 stood at K7, 071.37, a reduction of K106.85 compared to K7, 178.22 recorded in August. The slight reduction is mainly due to reductions in the prices of some food items such as vegetables which reduced from K493.39 to K413.96 for 40kg. The price of Kapenta reduced from K301.21 to K231.62 per kilogramme. The cost of tomatoes reduced from K62.19 in August to K51.26 per 6kg while the price of onion reduced from K51.42 to K41.10 per 4kg. The cost of rice reduced from K99.99 to K90.48 per 4kg representing a reduction of K9.51. Other notable reductions were in cassava flour, sweet and Irish potatoes, eggs, including prices of non-food but essential items such as bath soap and Vaseline. The reduction in some food items can be attributed to the harvest season for items such as vegetables, potatoes, cassava flour, pounded groundnuts, onion and tomatoes.