THE Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FewsNet) monitors trends in staple food prices in countries vulnerable to food insecurity.
For each FewsNet country and region, the Price Bulletin provides a set of charts showing monthly prices in the current marketing year in selected urban centres and allowing users to compare current trends with both five-year average prices, indicative of seasonal trends, and prices in the previous year.
Maize grain and maize flour are the main foods consumed by all households in Zimbabwe.
These food items are produced locally and imported from neighbouring countries particularly in the south western provinces of the country.
The markets monitored are the main markets that offer wholesale and retail supply in the respective regions of the country.
Mbare in Harare is the largest market in the country which also supplies other markets, and representative of Mashonaland Central, West and East provinces which are surplus producing areas; Kombayi in Gweru represents markets in central Zimbabwe covering the Midlands province.
Sakubva in Mutare is the main link market in the eastern part of the country mainly along the border with Mozambique.
Mucheke in Masvingo, Renkini in Bulawayo and Jahunda in Gwanda are the main supply markets in the south western provinces of Masvingo, Matebeleland North and South provinces.
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From 2009 until early 2019, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe implemented a multicurrency system. All price data were reported in US dollars.
During the first half of 2019, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe transitioned away from a multicurrency system and all prices were collected and reported in the Zimdollar.
Between 2019 and March 2020, the Zimdollar depreciated rapidly and contributed to high inflation.
In March 2020, the government attempted to fix the exchange rate at US$1:ZWL$25.
By June 2020, authorities introduced a foreign exchange auction system and allowed the use of the US dollar again for domestic transactions.
While some formal businesses and small and medium enterprises are benefitting from the auction system, the demand for the US dollar remains elevated, fuelling parallel market exchange rates.
Today, prices are reported in ZWL in formal shops (such as supermarkets) and often in US dollars on open markets. - FewsNet
