• Government must also provide incentives for producing certain things like vegetables to help reduce the cost of living.
• It is very sad that food prices are increasing amidst the harvest period.
• Once the production side is addressed, the products will be affordable.

Civil Society for Poverty Reduction (CSPR) has called on government to start reducing the cost related to producing mealie meal, cooking oil, and sugar as a way of tackling high commodity prices.
Speaking in an interview with Money FM News, Organization Board Member Partner Siabutuba stated that government must also provide incentives for producing certain things like vegetables to help reduce the cost of living.
Mr. Siabutuba said it is very sad that food prices are increasing amidst the harvest period because under normal circumstances, the country is supposed to record a significant reduction in the cost of food.
“We need to look at the aspect of production for food, it is very sad that food prices are increasing amidst the harvest. Under normal circumstances, when we are harvesting, we are supposed to record a significant reduction in the price of food because we are harvesting.”
“I think that we had a very successful so when we are having price escalation during the harvest period and in a year where as a country you recorded a bumper harvest, this means that the control of food prices and the cost of living is escaping out of government hands,” Mr. Siabutuba stated.
He added that once the production side is addressed in terms of ensuring that manufacturers have less cost, the products will be affordable for all.
“And so some of the measures that government can institute immediately, are to begin to reducing the cost related to producing food like mealie meal, cooking and sugar and also provide incentives for producing certain things like vegetables.”
“Once the production side is addressed in terms of incentivizing production, ensuring that the producers have less cost, then eventually the price of products will reduce,” he added.