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The phenomenon is present in both North Africa and West Africa. ” At the start of Ramadan, the price of certain basic necessities including oil, millet, imported sugar have risen », note Mali Grandstand in Bamako.
« Every day that God makes during this period of fasting, prices soar in all markets in Burkina, also notice The country in Ouagadougou. And this is much more observable with regard to the prices of basic necessities. The outbreak, at this level, has reached dizzying heights to the point that the Ministry in charge of Commerce has stepped up to raise the straps of traders who do not respect the prices displayed. But this outing produced the effect of water on the feathers of a duck “, laments the newspaper.
« My pigs for the average Muslim
And these price increases, we see them everywhere, tip Today, still in Ouagadougou: often blamed for not having taken the lead, for example, grain supplies and price controls, not to mention the dumping practiced by certain crooked traders, governments (West Africans) find themselves unable to overcome a famine, which strikes thousands of people in various villages. Ramadan difficult sosighs the Burkinabe daily, because if the rich can always go to Carrefour in Dakar to fill their shopping carts with food, the average Muslim will be content to negotiate his products at the markets of Tileul, Gueule-tapée, in Senegal or Zabr-daaga in Ouaga while looking gray for the price-quantity-quality ratio. »
Concerns in Senegal
So, there is a phenomenon of speculation on the part of traders, classic, one might say in this period. But there is also the international context. The World Africa takes the example of Senegal: in a context of general price increases (+1.9% for products imported in January), Already largely under way before the Russian invasion in Ukraine, the Senegalese fear a further increase in the price of bread, an essential food for ndogou, the meal for breaking the fast. Senegal imports more than half of its wheat from Russia, remember The World Africa. At the beginning of March, the president of the Millers’ Association had assured that the country had stocks for at least two months. But the price of the baguette had started to climb as early as last December, rising from 150 to 175 CFA francs.
End of February, remind again Le Monde Afrique, President Macky Sall had announced the reduction in the price of certain basic necessities, such as oil or sugar, to relieve Senegalese households. However, even if the Head of State has “invited the government, importers and traders to ensure the effective and immediate application” By this measure, many consumers complain about the high cost of living and find that the trend is only getting worse. »
The price of bread: an existential question in Tunisia
In North Africa, all countries are affected, especially Tunisia…” Due to the shortage of flour, several bakeries either closed their doors or were forced to ration the production of bread, relief The Press in Tunis. However, given the craze for the baguette and the long queues of citizens, some bakeries took the opportunity to raise their prices. The baguette sells for 250 millimes instead of 190 in some bakeries, without customers daring to complain, for fear of being left without bread. Economic control agents should crack down! ” For Africa Pointit’s ” Ramadan of all dangers in Tunisia : (…) will there be subsidized bread for iftar (break the fast) ? Will there be enough baguettes at 190 millimes to allow everyone to eat? This question would have seemed shocking not long ago, it now belongs to everyday life. It has become an existential question for a democracy put on hold since July 25. We no longer ask ourselves the question of progress, of a better society, but that of bread. »