September 2001 Basic Needs and Nutrition Basket: Lack of Political Sensitivity to Cost of Living Worries JCTR

Two issues emerge from what is happening pertaining to the availability of maize and to the slowdown in the global economy. The first is the need to properly forecast and thereby deal with the problem before it gets worse. The second is to put in place measures relating to global economic situations that would help mitigate impact of what is happening at that level on the national economy.The current high level of cost of living is exceedingly difficulty to cope with and has led to greater suffering for the majority of the Zambian people, observes the Economic and Social Development Research Project of the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR). According to the Coordinator of the Economic and Social Development Research Project, Muweme Muweme, the Food Basket for the month of September stands at K357,300, an increase of K8,800 from the previous month's figure of K348,500. ''Though this increase may not be seen as a huge leap in the cost compared to the one for the last month, it is in a way a significant one.Irish Aid Joint Country Programm