The recent Consumer Price Index shows that food and non-alcoholic beverages prices in urban areas increased by 29.2 per cent during the month of August compared to the same period last year. The urban Consumer Price Index is calculated based on approximately 1,622 products in twelve urban centres of Rwanda. Rwanda is among top 10 countries with high inflation according to the recent World Bank report. The New Times, on Monday this week, conducted a mini-survey in different markets and found that prices of sugar, beans, mangoes and sardine (isambaza), potatoes among others continue to hike. Sugar Maurice Nkundabankunda, a vendor at Kicukiro Niboye market told The New Times that he sells a kilogramme of sugar at Rwf1700, an increase from Rwf1,400 in the past months. “Today I went to purchase sugar and I was shocked with the sharp increase in the prices on the market. I tried out five shops and found that a sack of 25 kilogrammes is at Rwf61,000,” he said. The same 25 kilogrammes of sugar was, last week, going for Rwf57,000 and for Rfw54, 000 last month. Vendors are worried because they do not get a clear picture on why some foods are drastically increasing. Rice The spot-check found that 25 kilogrammes of rice, the most preferable one known as ‘Salaam’ costs between Rwf38,000 and Rwf40,000 at a wholesale price, whereas in the last two months, it was at Rwf30,000. The average rice price per kilogramme has increased on the market from around Rwf1,000 a kilogramme to between Rwf1,800 and Rwf2,000. Sardines The price of fried sardines known as “Isambaza” was at Rwf12,000 last month, whereas currently one kilogramme is at Rwf14,000 according to Darlia Uwantege, a vendor from Kimironko market. In 2020, one kilogramme of fried sardine was going for Rwf9,000. She said that the increase is apparently as a result of low production in Lake Kivu. Jean-Bosco Sibomana, the coordinator of Kibuye Fishing Project that collects fish produce in Karongi, Rutsiro and Nyamasheke District, told The New Times this month: “In 2020, we would collect and supply 14 tonnes of sardine per month. In 2021 it decreased to 8 tonnes per month. In 2022, we didn’t even collect five tonnes per month,” he said. During ‘peak season,’ a fisher could catch between 60 and 70 kilogrammes of sardine (isambaza) per night but in 2021, a fisher was only getting not more than 40 kilogrammes per night during ‘peak season’, he said. Mangoes Fruits are also among commodities whose prices have sharply increased. The price of mangoes for example has risen from Rwf1, 000 per kilogramme, last month, to between Rwf4,500 and Rwf5,000 currently. Innocent Nkomeje, a vendor who retails mangoes in Nyarugenge city market, said that scarcity of mangoes remains a persistent issue on the market. “There is no harvest currently,” he said. Beans The price of beans has increased from Rwf500 a kilogramme, to between Rwf1,000 to Rwf1300. These are dry red beans known as ‘Shyushya’ considered as the most favourable on the market. Irish potatoes Currently, a kilogramme of potatoes, which are even of poor quality, goes for Rwf400 and Rwf600 in Kigali city. Farmers attributed the spike in prices to heavy rains which were followed by prolonged dry spells. According to Uwantege, the yield is at its lowest in comparison with other years. Other farmers who spoke to The New Times attributed this to the increase in inputs, like seeds and fertilisers, which has ended up discouraging some farmers from continuing to grow crops, creating a shortage. The Ministry of Trade and Industry is still carrying out an assessment on the factors. Prices for bread and cereals increased by 27.9 per cent, meat increased by 19.4 percent while milk cheese and eggs prices increased by 12.6 per cent while the prices for vegetables increased by 35.5 percent, according to consumer index. According Jean-Chrysostome Ngabitsinze, the minister of Trade and Industry, prices have gradually been increasing in the past few months due to several reasons including Russia and Ukraine wars, increase in fuel following importation speculation on the imported goods. He, however, explained that some wholesalers have set their own prices to exploit consumers. “We have found that some wholesalers stock goods that are mostly needed by consumers, until they run low at the market, for them to immediately set their own prices as monopolies. We have fined some vendors and we shall keep punishing whoever sets prices for their own interest,” he said. Ngabitsinze added that, if an individual has imported commodities at higher prices, they should present the invoice to prove that. “This is because most of them do not have invoices, meaning they are affecting the country’s economy by increasing prices in their own interest,” he said. He said the ministry is working closely with the National Institute of Statics of Rwanda (NISR) and Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture (RICA) to keep tracking offenders who are increasing prices that have not been set by the government.
