At least 20 traders in the City of Kigali have been fined for unreasonably increasing the prices of maize, Irish potatoes, and rice.
The inspection followed a government
decision, announced last week, to waive VAT on maize flour and rice, and
regulate Irish potato prices to help control food price inflation in Rwanda.
According to the Ministry of Trade and
Industry, an inspection conducted in various markets across the country
revealed that some traders had significantly increased food prices. Maize,
maize flour, rice, and Irish potatoes are among the staple foods in Rwanda.
"The inspection continues in different
parts of the country. All traders should comply with the new prices,"
reads the announcement by the Ministry of Trade and Industry. The inspection is
being carried out by the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the Ministry of
Agriculture and Animal Resources, the National Police, and the Rwanda
Inspectorate, Competition, and Consumer Protection Authority (RICA).
Trade and Industry Minister, Dr.
Jean-Chrysostome Ngabitsinze, said that the government did not set the prices
for beans as the production is currently low in the country. "There is no
limited price for beans because the harvest is not enough on the market. We
hope that with the expected good yields from the current farming season, we can
consider the beans so that the prices could be stable," he said.
At least 78,000 hectares of bean crop farms
across the country were affected by dry spells during agricultural season A,
which usually runs from September to January. The drought effects resulted in a
decrease in bean production in all districts of the Southern Province, except
for the districts of Nyaruguru and Nyamagabe. Affected districts also include
Bugesera and other districts of Eastern Province.
Beans are widely cultivated across Rwanda and
are the main staple food, providing households with 32 percent of the required
calories and 65 percent of the protein. In 2022, beans were cultivated on land
estimated at 362,439 hectares in season A compared to 268,634 hectares in
season B and 3,292 hectares in season C.
Bean production was estimated at 235,818
metric tons in season A compared to 210,290 metric tons in season B and 3,381
metric tons in season C, according to a report by the National Institute of
Statistics of Rwanda (NISR). The report says this is a decrease of 9 percent in
season A, 8.4 percent in season B, and 5 percent in season C when compared to
the respective seasons of 2021.
Ngabitsinze said that the prices, in general,
are set up by considering the investment cost, production, transport cost, and
other factors.
Rwanda's Consumer Price Index (CPI), the main
gauge of inflation in urban areas, increased by 19.3 percent year on year in
March 2023, down from 20.8 percent in February 2023.
In March, food and non-alcoholic beverages
increased by 41.3 percent on an annual basis and increased by 4.3 percent on a
monthly basis, the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR) announced.
The prices of transport increased by 12 percent on an annual basis and were
stable on a monthly basis.
The data also show that "local
products" increased by 20.8 percent on an annual change and increased by
2.2 percent on a monthly basis, while prices of the "imported
products" increased by 14.8 percent on an annual basis and increased by
0.6 percent on a monthly basis.
The prices of "fresh products"
increased by 53 percent on an annual change
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