By Derrick Silimina
The annual inflation for April 2024 has increased to 13.8 percent from 13.7 percent recorded in March, 2024.
In a statement, the Zambia Statistics Agency (ZamStats) said this means that on average, prices of goods and services increased by 13.8 percent between April 2023 and April 2024, the development mainly attributed to price movements of selected food items.
ZamStats Statistician General Mulenga Musepa further noted that annual food inflation for April 2024 was recorded at 15.7 percent compared to 15.6 percent in the previous month
“This means on average, prices of food items increased by 15.7 percent between April 2023 and April 2024. This outturn was mainly attributed to increases in prices of Bread and Cereals (Breakfast & Roller Mealie Meal, Maize grain, Samp, Rice, Bread, Wheat Plain Household Flour); Fish (Frozen Fish, Buka Buka, Fresh Kapenta, Dried Bream-Medium Sized-Opened, Dried Kapenta Mpulungu, Dried Kapenta Siavonga, Dried Kapenta Chisense); Vegetables(Rape, Pumpkin Leaves, Spinach, Cabbage, Tomatoes, Onion),” Musepa stated.
With the annual non-food inflation for April 2024 remaining the same at 11.2 percent, the Statistician General stressed that the 11.2 percent inflation was mainly attributed to increases in prices of non-food items such as Shoes and other footwear (Men Leather Shoes local, Ladies leather shoes, Ladies synthetic shoes, Boys School Shoes, Girls School Shoes); Pharmaceutical Products (Paracetamol, Andrews liver salt, Magnesium Trisilicate, Fansider, Tetracycline, Asthma Cure (Salbutamol), Multivitamin); Cement and Charcoal.
