Surge in prices across food categories

At the onset of this year, food inflation takes center stage. The Consumer Price Index has witnessed a notable increase of 4.2 %, surging from 132 in December 2023 to 137.6 in March 2024, exacerbating financial strains on middle-class households.

Prices of various food items, particularly vegetables, are skyrocketing. Statistics Mauritius attributes this surge in the Consumer Price Index primarily to the escalation in prices of vegetables (+54.8 %), fruits (+15.3 %), herbs (+51.6 %), meat (+0.9 %), and frozen semi-prepared foods (+7 %).

Additional factors contributing to this uptick in the Consumer Price Index include elevated prices of ice cream and candies (+14 %), milk-based preparations (+6.1 %), ginger (+22.5 %), concentrated juices and syrups (+6.7 %), as well as whiskey (+10.3 %), ready-to-wear clothing (+1.8 %), and domestic services and medical fees.

In 2023, the annual inflation rate stood at 7 %, compared to 10.8 % in 2022. For the 12 months ending in March 2024, this rate is 5.8 %, compared to 11.1 % for the 12 months ending in March 2023.