THE consumer basket for a family of six increased by 17c to $589,14 as at the end of July due to rise in prices of meat and tea-leaves during the period under review, the Consumer Council of Zimbabwe (CCZ) has said. OWN CORRESPONDENT
In a statement, CCZ said the food basket increased by $1,54 to $146,11 by end of July 2014.
“The price of detergents decreased by $1,37 from $10,40 to $9,03 as a result of the decrease in price of washing powder and bath soap. Increases in prices were recorded in meat (beef) by 31c per kg from $3,99 to $4,30 and tea leaves by 27c from $1,60 per 250g to $1,87,” the consumer watchdog said.
Decreases in prices were recorded in tomatoes which went down by 40c per kg from $1,20 to 80c, onions by 40c per kg from $1,45 to $1,05, washing powder by 31c per 500g from $1,20 to 89c, bath soap by 11c from 70c to 59c, sugar by 9c from $1,79 per 2kg to $1,70, rice by 5c from $1,64 per 2kg to $1,59, flour by 4c per 2kg from $1,89 to $1,85 and salt by 1c from 20c to 19c per 500g.
The prices of the other basic commodities which include fuel, margarine, mealie meal, fresh milk, cooking oil, bread, cabbage and laundry bars remained unchanged from the end of June 2014 figures.
The CCZ said it will continue to encourage consumers to shop conscientiously and to always buy certified products.
The watchdog said consumers should check for vital information such as manufacture and expiry dates and ingredients used in the recipes of products they are buying. The survey is conducted twice — during the first and the last weeks of every 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.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
The basket is considered a fairly accurate depiction of the cost of living in urban Zimbabwe.
