COST OF LIVING IN LUSAKA GOES UP, SAYS JCTR
…as Charcoal fetches K1080 per 90kg from K750
By New Dawn Report
THE Cost of living in Lusaka has increased by K400 for a family of five people from K8, 567 to K8, 982 for the month of December respectively.
According to the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR), the high cost of living in Lusaka has been attributed to the increase in food and non-food items.
JCTR Social and Economic Development (SED) Programme Manager, Muchimba Siamachoka has observed that the other contributing factor is the loadshedding which has a great impact in most households.
“The cost of living for a family of five as measured by the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR) Basic Needs and Nutrition Basket (BNNB) for the month of December 2022 in Lusaka stood at K8,982.82. This reflects a K 415.62 increase from the K8567.2 recorded in November, 2022.
The upward movement in the basket is attributed to increased prices in food items. The basket also noted a significant increase in the non-food items section specifically charcoal,” Siamachoka said.
Siamachoka also explained that the country recorded an upwards adjustment of petroleum products while the Kwacha continued depreciating against major covetable foreign currencies.
“JCTR notes that the pump price of petroleum products saw an upward adjustment with the kwacha having depreciated against major currencies such as the dollar and the pound sterling. These elements consequently affected price rises,” said the programme manager.
And JCTR is concerned that load shedding will have a negative impact on the most vulnerable people in the country, especially given the high cost of living.
As already observed, according to the JCTR BNNB data, the price of charcoal in December went up by K330 from K750 (K375.00/90kg bag) to K1080 (K540.00/90kg).
“Generally, the price of charcoal goes up during the wet season when the product becomes scarce due to the fact that wood takes longer to dry than it does during the dry. With few or no viable alternatives to charcoal, the commencement of load shedding will inevitably increase demand and affect commodity prices. On the other hand, the need to protect the environment and find alternatives remains critical in the fight against the climate crisis,” noted JCTR.
JCTR is also particularly concerned about the plight of individuals who run medium and small medium enterprises (MSMEs) that rely heavily on electricity, such as saloons, barbershops, and welding businesses.