Uchumi ukue, bei zipande hivi?

Waziri Mkuu, Edward Lowassa, anasema uchumi unakua. Lakini wataalamu wanasema bei za bidhaa zinapanda kila siku. Ni ukuaji gani huu wa uchumi? Habari hii imeandikwa na gazeti la serikali, Daily News Agosti 21.08.2007. Soma mwenyewe uone hali ilivyo.

Inflation nears double digits

Overall inflation rate jumped to nine per cent in July, from 5.9 per cent in June, a trend which the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) attributed to increased food and non-food prices.

“The July 2007 inflation rate has gone up by 3.1 percentage points compared to the June figure,” the Bureau said in a statement made available yesterday. “Some prices for both food and non-food items had gone up,” it added.

Analysts feared the impact of price hikes on the economy, with inflation, a key indicator for consumer comfort and investor confidence, nearly hitting the double digit mark, the highest in more than five years.

The government had for the last three years, targeted to push inflation to a manageable below 4.0 per cent, which could now prove to be quite an uphill task. Before, inflation had nearly dragged the economy to its knees with almost record over 30 per cent rate.

Planning, Economy and Empowerment Minister Professor Juma Ngasongwa told parliament in June that in 2006, average inflation was 7.3 per cent, compared to 5.0 per cent in 2005. In March, this year, inflation was recorded at 7.2 per cent.

The minister attributed the upswing in inflation to increased commodity prices, especially food and petroleum products which also led to high costs of transport and generation of thermal electricity.

The minister expressed optimism on declining inflation after some parts of the country started harvesting food crops, saying in April 2007, the inflation rate had declined to 6.1 percent, from 7.2 per cent registered in March 2007.

NBS said in the statement yesterday that hiked food prices were wheat flour, bread, spaghetti, potatoes and meat. Prices of bananas, fish, cooking oils, beans, cowpeas, sugar and meals in restaurants had also gone up.

It said non-food items that had increased prices were instant coffee, rent, kerosene, electric cookers, sewing machines, kerosene stoves, laundry soap (bar and powdered), scrubbing brush, broom head, tooth brush and hair creams.

Prices that have also gone up include those of car batteries, diesel, petrol, bus fares and private secondary school fees.

However, it noted that prices of clothing, footwear, watches and cell phones had gone down.

Daily News Reporter
Daily News; Tuesday,August 21, 2007 @00:02