2023-11-01 23:05:15
In Ethiopia, the ongoing conflict in the Amhara region is weighing on local agriculture. Particularly on teff, which makes up injera, this pancake that is the basis of the country’s diet. The Amhara region is the main producer of this seed, the price of which has almost tripled in the capital, caught up by the consequences of the civil war. An unprecedented increase which weighs on the budget of Ethiopian households.
From our correspondent in Addis Ababa,
This large brown, soft and honeycomb pancake can be eaten in all sauces and with all meals. But in recent months, the price of teff has tripled in Ethiopia. In this store, the subject is on everyone’s lips. Even the trader is surprised at the price per kilo: “ It never happened. 125 birr! I don’t know if I’m dreaming. 125 birr is huge and the market is slowing down. »
Selam waits for his teff to be cleaned. She has come to buy her portion of flour for the week, and must calculate everything carefully. “ For the house we need 100 kilos. Now that it’s expensive, we only buy 70 kilos for a month. » The mother reduces the quantity, but also the quality. “ There are different types of teff flour, more than five. I would like the whitest, most expensive one. I need it, but it’s too much money. So, we must buy medium quality flour. »
Back home, we must prepare injera to feed the nine members of the family. “ We have no choice, we must restrict ourselves. We cannot eat as much as we would like. » But there is no question of doing without teff. “ For us Ethiopians, our food is injera. Every day, until we die. Injera is our life. »
The mechanism of this inflation is complex: devaluation of the local currency, overall rise in prices and increase in logistics costs for farmers, but above all, past and current conflicts have worsened the situation, as explained by Shiferaw Motiku, consultant. in the agricultural value chain: “ Generally speaking, teff has always been produced in the northern regions. Also in some parts of Oromia. So with the instability, it affects production and creates a shortage of teff which affects the price. »
Blocked roads and fighting prevent farmers from working and exporting their products, weakening the consumption of teff, the last line of defense once morest hunger.
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