Bubanza: increase in the price of basic necessities

The price of basic necessities has recently gone up to more than 30% in the province of Bubanza (western Burundi) following the price of the transport ticket which has also been increased.

INFO SOS Médias Burundi

Buyers are complaining, some eat once a day, and the phenomenon of begging for the elderly is observed in the provincial capital, the first at that area of Bubanza province.

The price of beans, all categories combined for example, has increased by at least 2500 francs, going from 3500 to 6000 Burundian francs.

At the same time in recent years, its price was set at 2200 francs. Corn is currently bought at 3000 francs per kilogram. It has experienced an excessive increase, according to residents.

Rice, which is widely grown in Bubanza province, in the plains of Randa, Mpanda and Gihanga, now costs 4,300 francs. A very high price, according to local consumers.

Traders say that stocks are exhausted. They are forced to get their supplies from Bujumbura, the commercial city, amid fuel shortage. For corn, the government had promised to regulate prices through ANAGESSA (National Agency for the Management and Storage of Agricultural Products).

“We sold corn seeds to ANAGESSA but today, we don’t see any on the market, why doesn’t the State sell us these stocks purchased by this agency?” ask sellers.

Buyers complain.

“Before, I bought 2 kg of rice per day, today we take the same quantity per week”, laments a head of household.

“[…] When I have 1/2 kg of beans, I add vegetables, fortunately it is the vegetable season, to fill the stomach”, says a mother from the provincial capital. She admits that “sometimes I have to hit my children who refuse to sleep hungry. It’s a shame”.

According to residents, more and more elderly people are begging in the capital of Bubanza, especially around the provincial market due to the high cost of living.

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Women walk down a street in the Matonge district in the capital of Bubanza province in western Burundi ©️ SOS Médias Burundi