Consumption: Gov’t Battles To Make Basic Commodities Accessible

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Consumption: Gov’t Battles To Make Basic Commodities Accessible

16 mars 2022 12:19

On the occasion of the International Day on March 15, many households are confronted with a stricter budget choices.

F or the past few months now, there has been a general outcry by Cameroonians especially of the middle and low income levels of persistent increase in prices of basic commodities. Products like wheat flour, rice, vegetable oil, soap, meat and fish amongst others have witnessed slight hikes in prices since late last year. The situation according to main importers is attributed to the global health pandemic (Covid-19) which has affected supply chains and cost of freight. The ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine is another obvious factor that is negatively affecting the prices of certain foodstuffs.

The market situation, many thought, would at least be relaxed now with prices going back to normal with a drastic drop in Covid-19 propagation leading to opening of borders by many countries. Unfortunately, much has not changed understandably so because some unscrupulous business operators have created artificial scarcity and unilaterally increase prices above government homologated levels. Vegetable oil for instance has moved from FCFA 1200 per litre to FCFA 1400 in local markets while beef climb to FCFA 3000 from FCFA 2800 a kilogram without bones and FCFA 2300 with bones. According to a housewife in Yaounde, B. Neba, she now prefers retailed vegetable oil which is less costly. The hikes in many consumable goods, she adds, has really affected family finances because the monthly budget for food was also stepped up without an increase in the family revenue. In the midst of all of these, the regulator of the market, the Ministry of Trade has not been relenting as recurrent concertation meetings between importers and the Minister of Tra...