Bubanza : grilled corn, a modest source of income on public roads

In the commercial center of Bubanza, in western Burundi, the areas around the main market and drinking places are bustling with mothers who grill corn to sell to passers-by. A grilled corn cob sells for 1,000 Burundi francs.

INFO SOS Médias Burundi

These women sellers of grilled corn explain that their main customers are traders, passers-by in a hurry, as well as people too busy to stop and have a meal at a restaurant.

Since the increase in the price of a kilogram of meat, which has caused the price of skewers to rise, these women sellers have seen an opportunity. Grilled corn has become an affordable alternative to meat in some bistros.

“Everything has become very expensive. Transportation costs have skyrocketed due to fuel shortages, and the price of charcoal is also high. Selling an ear of corn for less than 1,000 francs would be a loss,” says a vendor along the main road.

Despite everything, these women earn from this activity enough to meet, as best they can, the basic needs of their families.

——

A woman selling grilled corn on a street in the town center of Bubanza, December 2024 (SOS Médias Burundi)