In the Central African Republic, the closure of the capital’s main supply corridor has significant consequences for households. The prices of imported products have risen a lot and some traders sometimes take advantage of this to make even more margins. A price variation closely followed by the Central African Institute for Statistics and Economic and Social Studies – ICASEES – supported by the World Bank.
Carrots, cabbage, salads … Mélanie sells vegetables at the central market in Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic. “It comes from here … the other from far away. The road? It does not work. It’s hard to bring vegetables here. The prices are very high. “Overall, people in Bangui are complaining about the rise in food prices. This is the case with this client who prefers to be anonymous: “The prices are very expensive. I paid 4500 CFA francs for a chicken in the past, it is very expensive. Normally it is 3,500 CFA francs. With the crisis we are experiencing, it is very difficult, even if we make an effort. ”
Behind the row of smoked meats, odd customers discussed prices. Supervisor of agents from the Central African Institute of Statistics, Jonathan Baizé Wielfried, buys coconut leaves, one of the foods often used in households. “Coconut is a non-standard product. To see the price variation, we are forced to buy from different retailers. This is what we do. For the same price, the difference can sometimes be in weight. “
Armed with a detailed list, agents go into the hallways to bring back different types of samples and take price lists. “We arrive like any regular customer and we move on to the weigh-in once in the office. We actually report the price per kilo,” explains Perfect Maixent Malibert, head of ICASEES’s statistics office.
According to him, the Central African Institute for Investigations in connection with the crisis that the Central African Republic has been going through since December has taken a more important place than usual. “Since the closure of the corridor, we have changed our approach to jobs. We collect data every week and we make it available to the public very quickly. ”
According to the latest bulletin from ICASEES, the price of imported products as well as from local sources has risen further in Bangui despite the partial resumption of traffic on the corridor. The price of rice has risen 140%, the price of imported chicken 73% and palm oil is 44% more expensive. These are the products that have experienced the largest price increase since December.
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