Food price gallop gathers pace

Statistics Botswana data released last week indicates that in the last 12 months up to July, an index tracking aggregate food and non-alcoholic beverage prices have risen by an average 6.8 percent, and by 5.6 percent in the last six months alone. Within this category, which makes up a fifth of the inflation basket, other indices tracking prices of oils and fats, sugar, jams, honey and confectionary, as well as milk, milk products, cheese and fruit all rose by more than 10 percent in the last 12 months.

Indices tracking the prices meat, soft drinks, coffee, vegetables and other unclassified food items rose by between 4.8 and 9.1 percent between July 2010 and July 2011.