The National Food Security Coordination (CNSA) says it has seen – in its bulletin entitled “food basket and food security conditions” in April – a 4% increase in the price of basic products: rice – beans – wheat flour – corn – sugar – vegetable oil during in March.
The average nominal cost of the basket, in March 2020, was around 1,960 gourdes or $20 per person on a monthly basis compared to 1,563 gourdes or $16 in March 2019, an increase of 25%.
For a family of 5, the monetary value of the basket is 9,800 gourdes per month. In February 2020, the price of the food basket was around 1,880 gourdes.
Considering the food basket on the basis of the 2,100 kilocalories recommended, a household of 5 people would need about 11,000 gourdes to obtain basic food.
“Panic linked to the Covid-19 health crisis, the appreciation of the US dollar against the local currency and the closure of the Haitian-Dominican border, the poor success of the winter campaign explain the increase of 4% in monthly rhythm of the value of the basket during the month of March 2020 “, reveals the CNSA, specifying that the biggest increases are observed respectively on the markets of Les Cayes (+ 7%), of Hinche (+ 7%), Croix-des-Bossales (+ 6%) and Jérémie (+ 5%). Without the other regions, the cost of the food basket increased by 1 to 3%.
Port-de-Paix, Jérémie, Cayes, Jacmel, Ouanaminthe and Port-au-Prince are the regions most affected by this 4% increase in the monthly food basket. Rice, beans, vegetable oil and sugar are the basket products that have seen the largest increases. As for the 25% year-on-year increase, it results from the deterioration of the exchange rate (caused, among other things, by the budget deficit) and the socio-political unrest recorded during 2019 which represented an obstacle to circulation. goods and services. The CNSA also highlighted an increase in rice prices on the international market during the first quarter of 2020 of 3%, 5% and 4% respectively.
https://lenouvelliste.com/article/215235/hausse-de-4-du-panier-alimentaire-en-mars-2020