Zambia Statistics Agency (ZamStats) has disclosed that Zambia’s Annual inflation for December 2020 has increased to 19.2 percent from 17.4 percent recorded in November 2020.
ZamStats Interim Statistician General Mulenga Musepa attributed the increase in the annual inflation rate to price increases in food items.
“This means that on average, prices of goods and services increased by 19.2 percent between December 2019 and December 2020,” he said.
Mr Musepa however said in 2019 the inflation rate in December was 11.7 percent.
He has since disclosed that the annual food inflation for December 2020 was recorded at 20.2% compared to 16.8% recorded in November 2020, while the annual non-food inflation for December 2020 was recorded at 18.1% compared to 18.2% in November 2020.
Meanwhile Mr. Musepa said the total trade for the period January 2020 to November 2020 was K215.42 billion while the total trade for the same period of 2019 was K166.80 billion, representing a 29.2 percent increase.
The Interim Statistician general said the total value of exports via all modes of transport for the period January 2020 to November 2020 was K128.6 billion.
“Road transport accounted K91.8 Billion representing 71.4%, rail transport was second at K9.7 Billion (7.5%), and Air transport accounted for K2.8 Billion (2.2%) during the same period,” he said.
“Other modes of transport accounted for K24.4 Billion (18.9 percent).”
Mr. Musepa further revealed that Zambia recorded a trade surplus of K7, 157.3 million in November 2020 compared to a surplus of K6, 500.9 million in October 2020
He noted that exports increased by 7% to K16, 412.3 million in November 2020 from K15, 344.1 million in October 2020 while imports increased by 4.7% to K9, 255.0 million in November 2020 from K8, 843.2 million in October 2020.