
Maputo, 13 Sep (AIM) – In August, for the fifth consecutive month, the average level of prices in Mozambique fell, according to the latest figures released by the National Statistics Institute (INE).
Prices fell over the month by 0.12 per cent, after a fall of 0.34 per cent in July.
The INE’s price calculations are based on the consumer price indices from eight cities (Maputo, Beira, Nampula, Quelimane, Tete, Chimoio, Xai-Xai and Inhambane).
Inflation over the first eight months of the year stands at 2.1 per cent. The annual rate of inflation in August (1 September 2022 to 31 August 2023) was 4.93 per cent.
This is a decline from 5.67 per cent in July, 6.81 per cent in June, 8.23 per cent in May and 9.61 per cent in April.
The products which fell notably in price in August included lettuce (down by 12.2 per cent), tomatoes (8.3 per cent), cabbage (4.1 per cent), butter beans (2.1 per cent), and diesel (2.8 per cent).
Some prices, however, rose over the month. These included unprocessed maize (up by 8.4 per cent), unprocessed rice (1.5 per cent), dried fish (5.8 per cent), coconuts (3.4 per cent), and petrol (0.7 per cent).
The August deflation occurred in most, but not all of the cities where the INE collects data. The sharpest price fall, of 1.13 per cent), was in Inhambane, followed by Beira (0.7 per cent), Chimoio (0.23 per cent), and Maputo (0.22 per cent).
But in Quelimane, Nampula and Tete, the average level of prices rose – by 0.59, 0.32 and 0.3 per cent, respectively.
(AIM)
Pf/ (266)