Rwanda: Looming Food Crisis As Prices Soar

Despite increased production of foodstuffs in Rwanda, the urban population is faced with soaring prices partly fueled by chaos in the internal distribution management.

According to a mini market survey East African Business Week carried out in some wholesale and retail shops and markets in Kigali city last week, since January, wholesale and retail prices of locally made and imported commodities have been increasing.

The survey showed that prices of basic and highly consumed foods like maize flour, cassava, beans, rice, irish potatoes, cooking oil, ground nuts, bananas, sugar, tomatoe sauce and beef, have been increasing since January up to date.

The respondents said prices of locally supplied fresh foods like Irish potatoes, bananas, cassava, and dry ones like beans, groundnuts and peas have seen an increase despite high production in rural Rwanda. … more>>