Mozambique: Beira was October’s most expensive city

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Mozambique: Beira was October’s most expensive city

10:45 CAT | 11 Nov 2020

File photo: DW

The National Statistics Institute (INE) indicates that Beira, the capital of Sofala, was the most expensive city in the country in October, with inflation of 0.63%, followed by Maputo (0.57%) and Nampula (0.34%).

In year-on-year terms (vis a vis October 2019), Beira also led the pack in general price inflation, at approximately 5.15%, followed by the city of Nampula with around 2.84% and Maputo with 2.71%.

However, and in relation to the accumulated variation, that is, from January to October 2020, the country’s capital, Maputo, had the biggest increase in the general price level with 1.43%, followed by the cities of Nampula, with 1.42%, and Beira with 0.76%.

In general, according to data collected over the month of October 2020 in the cities of Maputo, Beira and Nampula, the cost of living increased month-on-month by 0.53%.

The food and non-alcoholic beverages and restaurants, hotels, cafes and similar divisions contributed to the total monthly variation with around 0.27 and 0.13 positive percentage points (pp) respectively.

Disaggregating the monthly variation by product, the INE highlights increases in the price of tomatoes (6.2%), beer for consumption away from home (3.4%), horse mackerel (1.2%), chicken (1.6%), motorcycles (2.5%), rice grains (1.3%) and cooking oil (1.4%).

These contributed to the total monthly increase of around 0.31 pp, though some products, particularly onion (2.5%) and fresh fish (0.3%), contradicted the upward trend, contributing a negative 0.03 pp.

In cumulative terms (January to October of the current year), the country registered inflation of 1.30%, with the food and non-alcoholic beverages and restaurants, hotels, cafes and similar divisions highlighted in general upward price trend, contributing with a positive 0.63 pp and 0.33 pp respectively.

Analysing the accumulated variation by product, it is worth noting the rise in prices for fresh fish, cooking oil, horse mackerel, new light motor vehicles, second-hand light motor vehicles, full meals in restaurants and wheat bread contributed around 1.48 positive percentage points to the total accumulated variation.

Compared to the same period of the previous year, the country registered a price increase of 3.20% in October. Food and non-alcoholic beverages, followed by alcoholic beverages and tobacco, registered the greatest price increase year-on-year, with around 8.10% and 5.63%, respectively.

Even given the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the economy, the government still maintains single-digit inflation targets for both 2020 and 2021.

By Edson Arante

Source: O País