23 June 2009.
The price of power is expected to increase in the next couple of weeks, which is likely to have a negative impact on the price of food.
Although international food prices seem to have dropped, according to the National Consumer Forum (NCF), it is unlikely that prices in South Africa will return to a lower, more stable rate for a while.
According to the National Agricultural Marketing Council (NAMC), South African government and policy makers are looking into ways in which the country can produce more of its own food and rely less on imports. A report on the Mail & Guardian Online states that one of the key issues facing food pricing in South Africa is that food costs more in rural areas than it does in urban areas.
Simphiwe Ngqangweni from the NAMC told the NCF at the NCF’s Consumer Rights Conference in Midrand last Friday, "All the food is produced in rural areas but is transported to urban areas for processing. It then goes back to the rural areas for consumption. This tells us that maybe we should have more processing facilities in the rural areas." This would hopefully reduce costs for farmers, who are expected to feel the pressure if Eskom’s requested power price increase is implemented. A decision regarding Eskom’s request will be made in the next few days.
Although the conference’s main concern was to focus on the food price increases, the NCF also addressed the issue of food safety in our country. If you would like to read more about the issues discussed regarding food safety, please visit the National Consumer Forum website.
