In its latest update, consumer watchdog, the Consumer Council of Zimbabwe (CCZ) said notable decrease was recorded in fuel which has been going down over the past few months following international oil prices which have also been on the downward trend. This has led to the price decrease of some commodities like sugar, fresh milk, laundry bar and cabbage.
“We assume that the above price decreases are necessitated by the reduction of fuel costs as more commodities are imported from outside the country. However, the increase in mealie-meal prices is due to importation costs and shortage of maize in the country,” said the consumer watchdog.
CCZ Matabeleland regional manager Mr Comfort Muchekeza said there was an urgent need for the Government to engage maize producing countries and purchase more to alleviate shortage of mealie-meal. He also said that prices of commodities have been gradually dropping since last year, one of the reasons being attributed to the fall of the South African rand in recent months. ”As a result of South Africa being our number one trading partner, the fall of that country’s currency made it cheaper for local wholesalers and retailers to an extent that the price drop was felt by consumers,” said Mr Muchekeza.