In Madagascar, rising meals costs are changing into more and more burdensome for households. The giant island is extremely depending on imports to satisfy the wants of the inhabitants and has already been hit by inflation linked to the coronavirus pandemic. In current days, within the context of battle in Ukraine and harm to the street community linked to the passage of assorted cyclones and storms, the costs of primary requirements proceed to rise within the markets and in grocery shops.
our correspondent in Antananarivo,
Rice, oil, flour or cleaning soap, on the stalls, costs have elevated by a number of hundred ariary.
“PPNs (basic necessities) are mostly imported products, so given the rising transport prices and the price of these goods on the international market, Madagascar has faced what is known as ‘imported inflation’,” explains Rado Ratobisaona, President of the Cercle de Réflexion. Unfortunately, we’ve got no substitute merchandise as a consequence of our industrial construction and the inadequacy of our agricultural merchandise, particularly when it comes to rice, our staple meals, though the state has already made efforts to fulfill the native market with its firm State Procurement of Madagascar (Editor’s word: the corporate that straight imports PPN), we are able to not take up this basic value improve directly.
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Direct import of meals from the state, institution of shops that permit households to purchase rice, legumes, oil, and so on. at an affordable value sure days of the week, distribution of meals and cash to essentially the most susceptible households … these authorities measures should not sufficient, based on the civil society group Chairman of the KMF / CNOE, Robert Namearison, testifying from Morondava, within the western a part of the nation.
One and a half million Malagasy in excessive poverty “PPN prices are rising day by day. Yesterday, a cup of rice was worth 800 ariary. Today it is 900 ariary. So tomorrow, how much will it be? This situation is due to Madagascar’s economic dependence on foreign countries, as Madagascar is currently unable to produce enough food to meet the needs of Madagascar’s people. There is also insufficient control of market prices by government agents. For us, the solution is to help Malagasy people produce what they need. So we need to build or rehabilitate agricultural infrastructure, improve the productivity capacity of Malagasy people and improve governance. We must find solutions to the economic independence of Malagasy households instead of creating a household dependency.
With a minimum wage of 200,000 ariar per month, or around 45 euros, and job losses due to the pandemic, the situation will be unsustainable for households, consumer defense associations warn. 1.4 million Madagascar fell into extreme poverty in 2020 due to the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic, according to the World Bank.
For the economist Rado Ratobisaona, the social emergency measures taken by the state are positive in the very short term.
“The government can not implement this strategy throughout the year or for two or three years. At present, I think it is time, even if it is already a bit late, to pursue other medium-term strategies as well, especially to try to protect ourselves against possible risks given the global context. The war in Ukraine in particular could raise the price of other strategic products, in this case for fuel, which could have serious repercussions on inflation. It is time to implement a plan that is already part of the initiative for the growth of Madagascar (editor’s remark: the program of the President of Madagascar) in the agricultural sector. For example, expanding the land to be cultivated also facilitates access to fertilizers and seeds, especially for rice. We must also set aside financial resources to strengthen existing industries in the oil, grain manufacturing sector, in order to try to replace imports a little.
The industrialization of the country is “the only solution”
“We have reached a national emergency,” said Edgard Razafindravahy, the Minister of Industrialization, Trade and Consumption.
If the state has so far concentrated on imports of rice, staple food for Madagascar and cement since the end of October, it plans to import sugar, oil food and seeds to farmers, the minister explained. The industrialization of the country ”stays the one answer within the medium to long run. We are making progress within the discussions concerning the set up of a cement plant, for the sugar factories, the mini sugar factories and for the commercial zones, small and huge, ”says Edgard Razafindravahy.
