Mozambique: Prices skyrocket in Maputo’s Zimpeto and Mercado Central – O País

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Mozambique: Prices skyrocket in Maputo’s Zimpeto and Mercado Central – O País

3:38 CAT | 08 Nov 2022

Image: O País

There is a shortage of potatoes and onions at the Zimpeto Wholesale Market, which supplies Maputo city and its surroundings. The situation has caused prices to skyrocket. Tomatoes, for example, are deteriorating for lack of buyers, and traders say the scenario could worsen in the coming days.

‘O País’ this Monday (07-11) visited the Zimpeto Wholesale Market in the country’s capital, as well as the Maputo Central Market, and found that the price of the main products, imported or not, was on the rise.

Amadeu Magaia, who is responsible for the potato and onion sector in Zimpeto market, says there are shortages, and a rise in prices is inevitable.

“Regarding potatoes and onions, there has been a shortage of these products since last week, which is why potatoes rose from 150, 180 and 200 meticais to the current 270, 280 and 320 meticais,” respectively, he explains.

“The onion situation is critical. Onion prices are rising every day. Last week, a 10kg bag of imported onion cost between 450 and 480 meticais. This week it is being sold for between 560 and 580 meticais,” Magaia said.

A truck from South Africa loaded with tomatoes entered Zimpeto Wholesale Market last Saturday, but was unable to sell all its produce, some of which ended up deteriorating. The price of tomatoes, however, continues to rise, with a 22-kilogram box now costing 600 meticais. “It’s last week’s tomatoes that we couldn’t sell, so it’s rotten. We couldn’t sell it because there were plenty of tomatoes here in the market,” one of the saleswomen explained.

National tomato seller Catarina Zacarias explains that prices vary depending on the quality. “First grade tomatoes usually cost 450 meticais at most, but this week it went up to 600 meticais. For the other qualities, prices are between 250, 320 and 350 meticais”.

The Maputo Central Market is also registering a rise in prices for the same products, according to Aida Mussagy, a vendor there, who also said that as long as Zimpeto continues to raise prices, Central Market will follow suit.

Sédocar Novela, president of the Association of Informal Sector Sellers and Importers, known as the mukheros, blames a combination of toll fees, customs duties, fuel costs and other elements for the rise in prices. “In South Africa, it’s raining, which means prices could go up even more. These are the factors and reasons why the most sought-after products are going up in the Zimpeto Wholesale Market,” he says, adding that the solution to the rampant rise in prices is an increase in domestic production.

Rain in South Africa and the southern part of Mozambique is blamed for the poor availability of goods. There are stalls with no products and empty trucks, waiting for the rain to stop before venturing into the countryside in search of more produce.

Source: O País