THE JCTR BASIC NEEDS AND NUTRITION BASKET
A Simplified Guide to the JCTR Basic Needs and Nutrition Basket
The guide can be used to promote healthy diets and improve knowledge on basic nutrition in Zambia.
|
| |||
|
The cost of living for a family of five living in Lusaka as measured by the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR) Basic Needs and Nutrition Basket (BNNB) in the month of March 2022 stood at K9, 411.50. This is a K106.12 increase from K9, 305.38 recorded in February 2022. Overall, total food cost increased by a larger margin than non-food cost. Total food costs stood at K3, 738.04 from K3, 648.92, an K89.12 increase. The upward movement in the basket is attributed to increased prices of items such as two 25kg bags of roller mealie meal which went up by K70.36 from K205.64 (K102.82/per bag) to K276.00 (K138/per bag), 1kg of Kapenta also went up by K40.41 from K249.52 to K290.00, 40kg of vegetables also went up by K14.05 from K566.41 to K580.49. Additionally, the basket also recorded increases in the price of 3.6 litres of cooking oil which went up by K6.00 from K159.63 to K165.00. However, the basket recorded decreases in 4kg of onion in view of increased domestic supply of the commodity moving from K118.20 (29.55/kg) to K100 (K25/kg), 14kg of other fruits which reduced by K36.66 from K399.66 (28.55/kg) to K364.00 (26.00/kg). 1 kg cassava flour also reduced from K146.43 from K22.94 to K137.61, a reduction of K8.82. JCTR notes that the increase in the cost of living for the month of March was on account of key causal factors. Specifically, total food costs continue to increase due to; seasonality (lean food season) and the increment in the fuel pump price recorded between December 2021 and March 2022. Additionally, the price of cooking oil continues to rise likely due to two factors. The lifting of the temporal suspension of import duty on edible oils (25percentof the value of imported edible oils) is one while the surge in the international prices of crude edible oil (this is a key input in local production) given the Ukraine-Russia conflict is another. The two countries ship more than 75% of global exports of sunflower oil. This has consequently seen prices of palm and soybean oil (the two most used oils) increase to a record high. Read More>>>
1 Comment
|
|||