Youths' ability to access food

By Clive Siachiyako

Bravo! With the high food prices in the country, the phrase man shall not live by bread alone makes more sense. It is too expensive to have three meals a day. In fact, this is time for more fasting so that the little food households have does not finish fast. When the life gets tougher, you change the strategy. Fasting could be the way to go, argues John Bull.

As the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR) argues it, the current upward trends in food prices pose serious challenges to human development and it requires immediate strategic planning and responses. In light of its monthly Basic Need Basket research, JCTR Social Conditions Programme Coordinator, Miniva Chibuye said the current rapid increases in food prices in the country were posing serious challenges to human development.


Ms Chibuye argued that the source of these price changes could be attributed to various factors, both internal and external.

“From the time of independence, most African countries have found it difficult to create “buffers” to safeguard them against external economic shocks, such as global food price increases, crude oil, etc. However, it is also internal shocks such as droughts, floods, etc., that have made external shocks find reinforcement at the national level. The manifestation of these shocks invariably and unfortunately undermines human development through making basic needs unaffordable,” she said.

Through its monthly research -- designed in a simple but realistic way in that prices are gathered from retail outlets where the majority of the Zambian people go to shop, averages calculated and presented in a format easy to understand -- the JCTR has presented to the Zambian people the monthly Basic Needs Basket to give a picture of current situation of affordability or lack thereof of basic needs for decent human survival.

The February 2008 Basic Needs Basket, has shown an unprecedented increase in the cost of basic food. Reported at costing an average of K596,000 in January, the cost of basic food is K654,750 at the end of February. This represents a huge increase of K58,750. Notable increases were recorded in the price of a 25Kg bag of breakfast mealie meal which increased by K4,700 to currently costing an average of K41,000 compared to K36,300 in January.

Also the price of a kilogramme of dry fish increased to an average of K50, 200 from K34, 400 in January. The price of 2 litres of cooking oil increased by K4, 900 from K18, 100 to K23,000 and bread -- after periods of relative price stability -- has increased by K300 to currently costing an average of K3,200. Green vegetables, tomatoes and onion also recorded increases.

While global upward trends of prices – reported to have increased by 40 percent -- could have an impact at the national level, it must be recognised that there are also seasonal factors to explain the current upward changes in prices. Historically in Zambia, there has been a tendency of upward changes in the price of food items beginning at the last quarter of each year all the way up to the harvest time. The obvious and common underlying factor to explain this scenario is that it has to do with how much is available on the market.

Ms Chibuye said life was becoming more miserable since human living conditions were not only explained in relation to food needs.

She said there are also non-food needs that have to be met, and when the costs of wash and bath soap, housing, electricity, and the like, are added to cost of basic food, the total cost of the basic needs basket amounts to K1, 870,650.

Ms Chibuye further said given current upward trends in prices of food items, the recent recommendations of the Parliamentary Committee on Estimates to have the Tax Exemption Threshold proposed at K600, 000 adjusted to K1, 000,000 is an apt moral and ethical response to the challenge of human development in Zambia.

She said since the current situation of cost of living is known, the biggest question was how to address such situations in ways that would not just respond to immediate needs but also to long-term needs.

“It appears,” says Miniva Chibuye, “what is required are holistic approaches to national development.” This calls for good agricultural practice that incorporates various dimensions.”

Ms Chibuye said it however implied, that for long-term benefits to be realized, there was need to pay much attention to the development of peoples’ skills through a sound education system, and ensuring that people led healthy lives.

She certain benefits from copper mining cannot be felt significantly in a situation where food prices were rising beyond what was affordable by many households.