• Price movements in Cereals, Fish Vegetables., Milk, and Cheese & Eggs.
• Overall monthly inflation July 2023 was recorded at 0.9 percent.
• Annual national average price of a 20-litre tin of Maize Grain increased by 52.46 percent.

Zambia Statistics Agency reveals Annual inflation for July 2023 increased to 10.3 percent from 9.8 percent recorded in June, 2023 mainly attributed to price movements of selected food items.

ZAMSTATS Statistician General Mulenga Musepa explained Annual food inflation for July 2023 was recorded at 12.1 percent compared to 11.2 percent in the previous month the outturn that is mainly attributed to price movements in Cereals, Fish, Vegetables, Milk, and Cheese & Eggs

Mr. Musepa further noted the annual non-food inflation during the period under review remained the same at 7.8 percent mainly attributed to increases in prices of non-food items such as Clothing and footwear, Pharmaceuticals Products, Accommodation services and Beds.

He said of the overall 10.3 percent annual inflation, the Food and Non-alcoholic beverages group contributed 6.9 percentage points, while the Non-food group accounted for 3.4 percentage points.

He indicated that of the 3.4 percentage points, Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels contributed the highest at 1.0 percentage points followed by Transport and Clothing & footwear at 0.8 and 0.6 percentage points, respectively with the rest of the Non-Food group accounted for the remaining 1.0 percentage points.

“Of the overall 10.3 percent annual inflation, Lusaka province contributed the highest at 3.4 percentage points followed by Copperbelt province at 1.8 percentage points. Central and Eastern provinces contributed 1.1 percentage points each, while North-western province had the lowest contribution of 0.3 percentage points” he disclosed.

Meanwhile, the Statistician General disclosed the overall monthly inflation for July 2023 was recorded at 0.9 percent compared with 0.8 percent recorded in the previous month mainly attributed to price increases selected in Food items.

He said monthly food inflation for July 2023 was recorded at 1.0 percent compared with 0.9 percent recorded in June 2023.

According to him, “this development was mainly attributed to general price movements for Bread and Cereals (Breakfast Mealie Meal, Roller Mealie Meal, Maize grain) Meats (Brisket, Mixed Cut, T-bone, Beef Sausages, Pork Chops, Chicken Frozen and Chicken Live); Vegetables (Rape, Pumpkin Leaves, Sweet Potato Leaves (Kalembula)-With sterms, Lumanda, Spinach and Cassava Leaves.)”

“Monthly non-food inflation for July 2023 remained the same at 0.7 percent” he added, explaining that “this outturn was mainly attributed to increases in prices of items such as Purchase of motor vehicles (Toyota corolla, Nissan Pick (Nissan Hardbody), Pharmaceuticals Products (Aspirin, Medix cough syrup, No cough, Andrews liver salt, Magnesium Trisilicate, Asthma Cure (Salbutamol), Cafenol, Ampicillin Medix cough syrup, No Throat lozenges) and Petrol.”

Furthermore, Mr. Musepa highlighted that the Consumer Price Basket consisted of 440 items which were spread across selected outlets in all the 116 districts of Zambia where over 23,000 price quotations are collected from these outlets between the 1st and 10th of every month with the minimum and maximum prices for selected products by district highlighted.

He said on a monthly basis retail prices between June 2023 and July 2023 showed that the national average price of a 25 kg bag of Breakfast Mealie Meal increased by 10.93 percent from K 204.06 to K226.37 while The price of a 25 kg bag of Roller Mealie Meal increased by 11.6 percent from K165.59 to K184.8.

Mr. Musepa added that the monthly national average price of a 20-litre tin of Maize Grain increased by 6.10 percent from K99.10 to K105.15.

On an annual basis, retail prices between July 2022 and July 2023 showed that the national average price of a 25kg bag of Breakfast Mealie Meal increased by 39.75 percent from K161.98 to K226.37 while that of a 25 kg bag of Roller Mealie Meal increased by 37.3 percent from K134.47 to K184.8, the Statistician general indicated.

“The annual national average price of a 20-litre tin of Maize Grain increased by 52.46 percent from K68.97 to K105.15.”