Sudan’s Inflation Hits 99% in April on Rising Food Costs

May 18, 2020
inflation-nigeria

By Adedapo Adesanya

Sudan’s inflation rate has risen further to 99 percent in April due to rising food prices, the Sudanese Central Bureau of Statistics has announced.

This rate had already risen to 82 percent the previous month, over what it was a year ago caused by rising prices for grains, meat, milk, sugar, and bread.

Despite the political transition in Sudan, which raised hopes for reform following the overthrow of President Omar al-Bashir in April 2019, the country’s economy remains in a deep crisis.

Rising inflation, the scarcity of foreign currencies and the huge public debt are among the most pressing challenges in the country.

In addition, there is a rise in the housing group due to the high prices of of cooking gas, charcoal, firewood, and also in the transportation group because of the high fuel prices.

The reports say that the urban inflation rate was 87 percent in April, while it was 67 percent in March. Inflation in the rural areas recorded 108 per cent in April 2020, compared to 93 percent in March.

Last month, the Sudanese authorities decided to increase the price of bread: a Sudanese pound (about 2 cents) can only buy a 50 gram loaf of the essential food item, compared with a 70 gram loaf it could previously get.

The tripling of the price of bread was the trigger for the first street demonstrations against Omar al-Bashr in December 2018. The mass demonstrations had continued for months before the army deposed the president in April to end his 30-year reign.

Many in Sudan could soon face a food crisis, according to the US government’s famine warning system, especially in Sudan’s high conflict zones.

According to the US report, the cost of key grains such as sorghum and millet grains rose by up to 50 percent in March and April. The current prices are more than 400 percent above the average price over the past five years.

Adedapo Adesanya

Adedapo Adesanya is a journalist, polymath, and connoisseur of everything art. When he is not writing, he has his nose buried in one of the many books or articles he has bookmarked or simply listening to good music with a bottle of beer or wine. He supports the greatest club in the world, Manchester United F.C.

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