The priciest cut of them all

Mbongeni Mguni | Wednesday February 19, 2020 12:46

 

The priciest cut of them all

The basket of 11 food items used by the data agency as part of its monthly inflation calculations shows that meat prices outpaced all other foods in the 12 months to January 2020. 

Statistics Botswana figures indicate that during that period, meat prices rose fastest between October and December last year, possible because supply fell after government urged farmers to destock in April to secure the little value available after yet another drought.

The data agency’s numbers also show that after meat, fish prices rose the second highest in the 12 months to January, followed by bread and cereals and finally fruits. 

Of the 11 food items used to compute food inflation, only the prices of sugars, jams and honeys declined in the 12 months to January 2020, while those of oils and fats only rose by 0.9 percent.