Little cheer for poor with rise in food prices

AS THE world commemorates World Food Day today, the Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity group said the poor could expect a bleak Christmas and New Year as they felt food prices might rise during this time.

“We commemorate World Food Day 2020 in the midst of a pandemic, which requires proper nutrition to build strong and resilient immune systems to resist contracting Covid- 19 and recover if we do contract it.

“However, we have seen food prices rise substantially over the past several months, making it very difficult for ordinary South Africans living on low incomes to afford sufficient and nutritious food,” said the organisation.

“Job losses and cuts have put severe pressure on the household food purse. Our projections are that the cost of household food baskets purchased by low income families will continue to rise through the festive season and into the new year.”

At a virtual meeting yesterday, the group’s researcher, Julie Smith, said the price for an average basket of food for a household in Durban cost about R3 907.62, an increase of R107. This was also the highest increase in the surveyed cities which included Johannesburg, Cape Town and Springbok.

With the economic downturn in South Africa, Smith said it expected people to go further into debt as hunger and food prices increased. She also cautioned against the removal of the social grant top up. “If the grant is lifted too soon, then hunger will explode into children’s bellies.”

Pietermaritzburg resident Manakhe Chiya, 50, who provides for a family of 12, said during Covid- 19 many parents have had to forgo food so that their children could eat.