MOST shop owners say their prices remained stagnant for last month, despite the Consumer Council of Zimbabwe (CCZ) saying the prices increased slightly by 0,54%.
Gamma Mudarikiri
The cost of living for an urban low income earner in a family of six increased in June to $561 pushed by an upward movement in food prices during the month.
“Our prices have remained stagnant in the past month,” a retail operator for Colcom shop along Robert Mugabe Way and 13th Avenue said, adding that he thought the trend was likely to continue.
A Spar supermarket manager along 12th and Fife Street, who refused to be named, also echoed the same sentiments saying their prices were stable in the period in reference.
Latest figures released by the consumer watchdog show that the monthly basket was pushed up by food prices, which in the period increased by $3,38 on average to $153 last month.
CCZ says the staple maize meal went up by $1,08 to $11,86 per 10kg, margarine 23c to $2,42 per 10kg bag, flour 14c to $1,99 while rice prices jumped 16c to $1,85 (2kg bag).
Onion prices were also on an upward trend, going up 9c to $1,39, bath soap 2c to 87c while beef prices gained 40c to $4,30 a kg.
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However, decreases in prices were recorded in white sugar, which went down by 25c to $1,95, fresh milk by 3c to 70c, tomatoes 33c to 65c while cabbage prices lost 20c to 50c.
Detergents decreased by 32c to $12,65 during the period. CCZ said the prices of the other basic commodities, including tea leaves, cooking oil, bread and salt and washing powder remained unchanged from the May figures.
The consumer council attributed the fluctuations in the basket supermarket promotions like the OK Grand Challenge promotion, but indicated that the free fall of the South African rand against the US dollar did not supress prices as was expected.
“Lower prices for products were expected considering the volatility of the rand to the US dollar, which hovered around approximately R9,8 — R9,9 at the end of May, but unfortunately Zimbabwean consumers never get to enjoy this,” CCZ said.
Fuel prices, however, decreased, with diesel and petrol losing 7c to $1,48 and $1,32 a litre respectively. The CCZ survey is conducted twice during the first and the last weeks of the month.
The total cost of the food basket and the price of each commodity are arrived at by averaging prices gathered from retail outlets throughout the country.
Most retail players in Bulawayo, however, said their prices remained stagnant last month.
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