Prices of construction materials on the rise in Maputo and Matola

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Prices of construction materials on the rise in Maputo and Matola

3:10 CAT | 25 May 2020

Photo: O País

Building during the Covid-19 pandemic is getting more difficult, thanks to “rampant” price increases.

Construction materials are seeing price hikes in Maputo and Matola, with size 15 building blocks rising from 21 to 23 meticais and 8mm re-bars going up from 110 to 135 meticais

At one of the construction material yards in Matola where blocks are produced, there are new prices every two months, driven by the state of emergency.

Yard manager Ansha Mael confirmed that prices had risen, but told ‘O País’ that there were still plenty of customers.

“A size ten block costs 20 meticais – before it cost 19 meticais. A size 15 block is currently 23 – before it cost 21 meticais. And a size 20 block cost 25 meticais before and now costs 27. All of this is connected to the shortage of cement and the state of emergency,” he explained.

Reinforcing rods (re-bars) have also gone up in price in Maputo city, Rosário Mangue told ‘O Pais’, especially imports from South Africa.

“The ten millimetre iron was 170 – now it’s at 275 meticais, the eight millimetre iron is currently 135 – before it was 110 meticais, the six millimetre iron has gone up to 85 meticais from 75 and the 15 block stirrups are seven meticais, up from six”.

As for inert construction materials, prices in some cases remain unchanged. For example, the cubic metre of 3/4 gravel is 800 meticais. Coarse Incomati sand remains at 800 meticais per cubic metre, but some yards have dropped the price to 600 meticais to attract buyers. The cubic meter of white sand also costs 600 meticais.

Various sizes of nails also have new prices. For example, a kilogram of four-inch nails which cost 90 meticais two months ago, currently costs 100 meticais. Cement has also been seeing steady increases in price, reaching 480 to 500 meticais per 50 kg bag.

By Amândio Borges

Source: O País