JESUIT CENTRE FOR THEOLOGICAL REFLECTION
Social Conditions Research Project

The JCTR Basic Needs Basket

JCTR Food Basket (1991-2001)( C o st o f B a si c I t e m s f o r F a m i l y o f S i x i n L u sa k a )400,000

350,000

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Jan-91Jan-92Jan-93Jan-94Jan-95Jan-96

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Jan-98Jan-99M ont hA Comprehensive Overview

February 2005

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Contents
1.0

2.0

3.0

Introduction
1.1
The JCTR Basket: History in the Numbers
1.2
The JCTR Mission Statement
1.3
The Basic Needs Basket Purpose Statement
1.4
Limitations of the Basic Needs Basket
Basket Scope and Methodology
2.1
The Lusaka Food Basket (1991-2001)
2.2
The Basic Needs Basket (2002-Present)
2.2.1 Scope of the Lusaka BNB
2.2.2 Scope of the Expanded Urban BNB
2.3
Future Rural Basket
Basic Needs Basket Advocacy
3.1
Advocacy Strategy
3.2
Strategic Stakeholders

Appendix A: Press Releases
x Summary of Each Press Releasex Press Releases from January 1999 – Present (only in soft copy)
Appendix B: Demonstration of Methodology
x Collection Templatesx Example Calculations from January 2005
x Example Basic Needs Baskets from January 2005
Appendix C: Data and Graphs
x 1991-2001 Lusaka Food Basket Data and Graphx 2002-Present Lusaka Basic Needs Basket Data and Graphs
x 2005 Expanded Urban Basic Needs Basket Data and Graphs
Appendix D: Analysis
x 2003 Lusaka Basic Needs Basket Data and Analysis
x 2004 Lusaka Basic Needs Basket Data and Analysis
x 1997-Present JCTR Food Basket

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1.0

Introduction

First and foremost, the JCTR asks that you think of the following pages as the instruction manual
for the Basic Needs Basket (BNB). In other words, the intention of this Comprehensive
Overview is both to compel and empower you to go out and effectively use the BNB for its
intended purpose: to promote a more just and human Zambia. In Section One you will be told
the story of the JCTR Basket as it slowly evolved from the Lusaka Food Basket into its current
form of the Basic Needs Basket. Also, subsequent paragraphs in the first section explore in more
depth the mission of the JCTR, the purpose of the Basic Needs Basket and the limitations of the
BNB exercise. Section Two attempts to demystify the methodology and scope of the JCTR
Basket in all of its past, present and future formats and locations across Zambia. Finally, Section
Three unpacks the advocacy strategy of the BNB and suggests its usefulness to the numerous
strategic stakeholders.
Attached to this instruction manual for the Basic Needs Basket, located in Appendices C and D,
you will find the “product” offered by the JCTR: the 1991 to 2001 Lusaka Food Basket Data andGraphs, the 2002-Present Lusaka Basic Needs Basket Data and Graphs, the 2003 Lusaka Basic
Needs Basket Data and Analysis, the 2004 Lusaka Basic Needs Basket Data and Analysis and the2005-Present Expanded Urban Basic Needs Basket Data and Graphs. Once again, the intentionof this manual is to clarify the purpose, limitations, methodology and advocacy strategy of the
BNB to encourage appropriate and effective usage of the Basic Needs Basket monthly data andhistorical statistics. And please remember, the only purpose of reading an instruction manual is
to learn how to use a product: we implore that you utilise the BNB in any imaginable capacity solong as it is in promotion of a more just and equitable world!
1.1

The JCTR Basket: History in the Numbers

Since the early 1990s the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR) has been keenly
monitoring the rising cost of living in Lusaka through a simple monthly price survey of a“basket” of essential food and non-food items. Indeed, it is through the popularity of this basket
survey that many in Zambia have come to know of the work of the JCTR and its struggle toachieve a society where faith promotes justice for all, in all spheres of life, especially for thepoor.
The Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection was founded in 1988 in order to examine theZambian reality from a theological perspective and undertake appropriate research and action in
the spirit of a faith that seeks justice. One of the initial projects of the JCTR was the Economic
and Social Development Project that worked “to promote economic and social justice throughexposing the plight of the poor.” Furthermore, “the aim of the project (was) to gather facts
through research and to use those facts to advocate for change in policies and/or practices that
inhibit attainment of sustainable livelihoods.”
The Foundation of the JCTR Food Basket
In the spirit of exposing the plight of the poor and with the realisation that the average person
was struggling to afford even the most basic of monthly commodities, the Economic and Social
Development Project conducted its very first “Food Basket” survey in March of 1991. There
was concern among church groups within Livingstone and the Copperbelt about the wages that1the Catholic Church was paying to its employees, and the JCTR took up the challenge ofassessing a basic cost of living through this initial survey. It was determined that a family of six
living in Lusaka at that time needed only 6,375 Kwacha (K) to afford a month-long supply ofbasic items including mealie-meal, meat, vegetables, bread, charcoal and soap. It was not solong ago that you could pay for a loaf of bread with the loose Ngwee in your pocket!
The Lusaka Food Basket survey was conducted just one more time in 1991 and seemingly
forgotten amidst the floury of activity surrounding the first years of Fredrick Chiluba’s
presidency. It was the year 1992 that Zambia began embracing aggressive liberalisation of theeconomy under the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) prescribed by the International
Monetary Fund. The reforms included reduction in protective tariffs (e.g. textiles, batteries),
removal of subsidies of basic goods (e.g. agricultural inputs, mealie-meal), and abolishment ofprice and exchange rate controls.
The effects of liberalisation were harsh and instant as evidenced through the rapid depreciationof the Kwacha and skyrocketing inflation levels in the country. To help evaluate how the SAP
was affecting the standards of living of ordinary Zambians, the JCTR returned to its Food Basket
survey again in 1993 to discover that the basic commodity basket had drastically jumped in cost
to K31,075 by January and K49,360 by April of that year.
From a purely historical perspective, the JCTR Basket speaks to the dramatic story of how living
conditions have rapidly deteriorated in Zambia in relation to the deteriorating economic
situation. The regularly recorded statistics directly correspond with the defining events of thepast fourteen years, including the many economic shocks, the internal political changes, theexternal wars, the successful and unsuccessful governmental policies, the collapse of industries
and banks, the varying quantity of rainfall to support agriculture, etc.
However, the hidden characters in this story told by numbers are the Zambian people who have
faced immeasurable hardships in response to the rising costs of living and simultaneously
declining opportunities to access decent employment, healthcare, education and other social
services. The freedom of people within a society to afford basic needs is essential to thepromotion of dignity within the human person. The JCTR basket has been used extensively inthis dramatic period of Zambian history to expose how families are struggling to afford human
lives; more importantly, the JCTR Basket has been used extensively to advocate for prudent
socio-economic and political decisions and just relationships between employers and employees
in order to help create more human conditions for the people of Zambia. It is in this way that the
JCTR Basket transforms from a pure statistical record of history to an active protagonist in theliving drama.
The Food Basket survey was conducted four times in 1994 and another six times in 1995. In
May of 1995 the Economic and Social Development Project organised a team of UNZA students
to carry out basic interviews in the compounds of Lusaka to explore the perplexing question:“With food alone costing almost K150,000, how are families making ends meet?” The article,
appearing in the JCTR 2nd Quarter Bulletin of 1995, offers a glimpse of life on the ground boththen and now.
For example, many families indicated that two meals a day of nshima and relish is the standard
when money is available, yet skipped meals are very common. Also, many indicated that a2

“family of six” is misleading with the number of children and other dependents commonly
exceeding ten per family. The conclusion of the impressionistic yet insightful report was thateven a basic standard of living had become impossible for the average Lusaka family, and thatthe unfortunate result of the Structural Adjustment Programme was the structural adjustment of
the family.
The Monthly Food Basket
By January 1996 the Lusaka Food Basket had reached K170,592, and it was this year that theBasket became a monthly staple of JCTR activities. A lot of time and energy has been spentover the past nine years talking with families, visiting markets, speaking with marketeers,
weighing vegetables with a portable scale and recording the prices of essential goods that include
mealie meal, charcoal, cooking oil, vegetables, bread, tea, soap, etc. The JCTR continues toinvest in regular monthly monitoring of the cost of living for many reasons on two primarylevels.
Monthly research into the changes in cost of living helps the JCTR and its many stakeholders
remain connected to the present living situations of the people, to understand the reasons forchanges in prices from month-to-month and to respond accordingly to the immediate conditionsin the country. At a separate level, the recording of monthly data also helps the JCTR and its
major stakeholders to analyse how cost of living varies over intervals of time, to understand thereasons for trends in price changes over seasons or years and to make recommendations forpolicy-change to create the future socio-economic climate that allows people to afford a decent
standard of living.
On the Ground

By January of 1999 the cost of basic food items in Lusaka had risen to K240,920, and it was thisyear that the JCTR began to vocally address the cost of living on a month-to-month basis by
issuing press statements commenting on the present issues affecting cost of living and theimmediate actions to be taken by government, international organisations, employers or othergroups of people. To read the nearly sixty press releases is to take a walk through time to revisit
all the major events of the past six years. Please see Appendix A for a summary of each press
release and for the press releases (only in soft copy) from January 1999 up to the present.
The following headlines help illustrate the point: “Lower Food Prices But Not Higher Food
Consumption” (September 99), “Widening Gap Between Food Basket and Salaries: What Do
Political Party Manifestoes Have to Offer?”(August 2000), “High Cost of Living Should be an
Essential Focus For Political Campaigns, Says JCTR” (November 2001), “Basic Needs Basket
Challenges the 2002 National Budget” (February 02), “People’s Hardships Heightened: Basic
Needs Costs a Million, Says JCTR” (January 03), “JCTR Links Cost of Living Issues with War
in Iraq” (March 03), “Nutrition Should be Central to AIDS Treatment Discussions, Says JCTR”(April 2004). Income is the primary means for people to access decent standards of living, andthe monthly press statements relate income and cost of living to other contemporary issues facing
the people.

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Promotion of Human Wages

The January 2000 Lusaka Food Basket brought an important new dimension to the JCTR’s
examination of rising living costs: the comparison of the cost of food to the take-home wages ofa variety of employees. At that time the Food Basket cost K263,370; however, the averagemonthly take-home pay was just K135,000 for a primary teacher, K200,000 for secondary school
teacher, K150,000 for a secretary in the civil service and K160,000 for a nurse.
This explicit comparison of wages to food costs illustrated the non-particular nature of thepoverty that continues to spread across the nation: even the few remaining formal-sector
employees are unable to afford basic food costs! A new category of poor has emerged: “theworking poor.” And what does this mean for the small farmers, the traders, the marketeers, thestone-crushers and the majority of Zambians who live without a regular income? And what
about the additional costs of housing, water, education, health-care, clothing and other items notincluded in the Food Basket? How are families managing to make ends meet?
Between March and June of 2000 the JCTR explored these quality of life questions in relation to
the situation of primary school teachers in the country. The researcher undertook a detailed fieldstudy of teacher living conditions in Lusaka Province, specifically examining the average takehome pay of teachers in comparison to cost of living as measured by the BNB, the relationshipbetween living conditions and teacher performance, and the policies and practices that prevent
primary educators from achieving sustainable livelihoods.
The primary conclusion of the study was that teachers could not afford the barest minimum
necessities from their salaries alone, but the provision of government housing in addition to thewages helped a minority of the teachers to provide for their needs and devote more energy toteaching. As noted by the report, the majority of teachers resorted to survival strategies that
include “private tuition, vending, reducing the number of meals per day, asking for help fromfriends and relatives, and borrowing, both formal and kaloba (an informal borrowing withexorbitant interest rates, often exceeding 100 percent). Many of these strategies have negative
ramifications on the quality of education, as they are likely to distract the teachers fromconcentrating in their work.”
The report recommended that teachers be paid higher wages in accordance with real costs ofliving, that non-wage benefits such as accommodation, healthcare and transportation should beoffered to boost teacher performance and that conditions of service should offer teachers freeeducation for their children and produce from the self-help farms in rural areas. The findings ofthe report were useful not only to struggling teachers across the nation, but also to other groups
such as nurses and civil servants facing the same challenges.
The JCTR Basket in one form or another will always have a primary usefulness to unions andthose in the formal sector to negotiate for wages that respect the notions that each person has
inherent dignity, that work is essential to the promotion of the full human person and that work
must be compensated justly. However, the impact of the basket goes far beyond wage
negotiations from within the formal sector.

4Analysis, Research and Advocacy

Particularly since 2000 the JCTR has also analysed the changes in cost of living over intervals of
one-year, in order to form policy-recommendations to improve people’s access to more humanstandards of living in the future. In December of that year, as the Food Basket climbed toK312,695, the Economic and Social Development Project issued its first annual “year in review”
press statement. Expressing great concern over the 30% inflation rate for 2000 that resulted
primarily from rapid depreciation of the Kwacha and increases in fuel and mealie meal, theJCTR made the following three policy recommendations: 1) Government must take preventative
measures to mitigate spikes in cost of living, particularly through strategic grain and oil reserves.
2) There is need for the 2001 budget to be pro-poor. 3) Special attention must be paid to theagricultural sector in order to dampen annual increases in food costs.
The strong emphasis for 2001 was that government needed to develop a prudent and holistic
agricultural policy, for rises in living costs could be attributed to nothing else but poor
agricultural planning. Furthermore, with the poor rains during the beginning of that growing
season the prediction was that things would grow much worse during 2002. The headline of the
December 2002 press release strongly confirmed the prediction: “Year 2002 Characterised byDisturbing Social Challenges, Observes JCTR.” The shortage of maize resulted in the mostdrastic increase in food prices ever recorded by the basket, and 2002 was also the year that
Anglo-American pulled out of the ZCCM copper mines without considering the real cost on the
lives of Zambian families.
In December of 2003, the end of year message pointed out the positive effects on cost of living
brought about by ample maize production, yet also warned government that the “sacrifices”
made in the name of reaching the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) completion pointshould not affect the poor already struggling to afford basic needs. The December 2004 press
statement contains exceptional analysis of the living situation in Zambia and highlights six
priority issues to address in order to “move people from less human conditions to more humanconditions – a truer definition of development than abstract GDP figures.” The six strong
demands include responsive and responsible leadership, education for future development, aholistic health-care system, total debt cancellation for poverty reduction, sustainable agricultural
practices that will benefit the small-scale farmer in the long-term, and a clear strategy for
employment creation.
A new commitment of the JCTR is to disseminate the basket statistics over years of time, and ina simple format, so that families, NGOs, employees and employers, marketeers, members ofparliament and other stakeholders can make well-informed actions to promote better living
conditions amidst rising costs of living. Furthermore, the measure of cost of living over the past
fourteen years provides a very valuable resource to researchers ranging from students at the
University of Zambia, economists at the World Bank and social scientists at the United Nations
Development Project (UNDP).
Unveiling the Basic Needs Basket
Over a period of ten years, the JCTR measured the cost of basic food items (also including
charcoal, soap, wash soap and Vaseline) for a family of six living in Lusaka using the same
composition of the Food Basket and a relatively consistent methodology for data collection. But
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in January of 2002, the JCTR unveiled a new and improved basket with a new composition andfresh name: the Basic Needs Basket (BNB). Since the early 1990s, there was recognition that the
primary weakness of the Food Basket was that it failed to uplift a substantial portion of otherregular necessary costs incurred by a family. As one Lusaka resident wrote in response to thenewspaper article “How Many are Surviving?” appearing in The Citizen during December of
1998: “I also observed that your food basket does not include rent, ‘fictitious electricity andwater bills,’ and transport to and from work. Are these things a luxury? The end result isstarvation!”In the third quarter of 2001 the JCTR brought together representatives of key stakeholder groups
in order to revise the basket to make it more adequate and accurate. The major changes included
the separation of basic food items from essential non-food items, the addition of housing, waterand electricity to the non-food items and a new composition of the “food basket” to make it more
nutritionally sound. Also, the BNB began highlighting some other normal costs incurred byfamilies including education, health and transportation, but these numbers do not impact themonthly total of the basket.
Recorded in January of 2002, the cost of the first Lusaka Basic Needs Basket was K829,250 withthe basic food items alone costing K324,650. As recorded in the press release highlighting thesechanges, “At first glance this figure may seem astronomically high, yet any Zambian reflecting
on the demands of their real situation will acknowledge that it is a true reflection of the cost ofliving!”Measuring Impact
In April of 2003, as the Basic Needs Basket reached K1,030,850, the JCTR consulted a Policy
Impact Assessment to investigate the extent to which the BNB had fed into “wider” policies ofimproving the welfare of the people, especially the poor. The methodology of the appraisal
involved reading all materials, press releases and newspaper clippings related to the JCTR
Basket, speaking at length with all members of the JCTR staff, interviewing users of the BNB
classified as government ministries and departments, trade unions, NGOs and co-operating
partners, and holding detailed conversations with experts from the Central Statistical Office, theUniversity of Zambia and the National Food and Nutrition Commission.
The assessment provided an exceptionally honest and objective critique of the Basic Needs
Basket exercise, expressing not only the constructive criticism of numerous stakeholders but also
the magnitude of positive impact made in society by more than ten years of advocacy. As forconcerns, there was mention of the narrow geographical scope of the BNB, the lack of a clear
and explicit scientific methodology, the limited circulation in terms of copies and geographic
scope, the inability of the BNB to take into account the many disparities between Zambianfamilies and the apparent targeting of the formal sector for advocacy efforts.
As for the positive impact of the JCTR Basket, the assessment revealed first that there waswidespread awareness of the Basic Needs Basket by policy makers ranging from government
officials to employees of international organisations. For example, the committee of permanent
secretaries that meets prior to negotiations with public service unions always makes reference tothe BNB. Also, a number of researchers regularly refer to the JCTR Basket as one indicator ofpoverty, and it is also regularly included within the UNDPs annual Human Development Report.
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Second, though the assessment was unable to establish any direct link between the JCTR Basket
and formation of government policy, the conclusion was drawn that “It can be safely said that theBasket has single-handedly put the issue of cost of living in Zambia in the limelight. It has
provided an important benchmark or progress indicator against which poverty as incomedeprivation has come to be measured.” Furthermore, the evaluation revealed that government
had taken notice of the BNB and was in the process of creating its own Central Statistical Office“Basic Needs Basket” to measure a national average cost of basic family needs.
Third, the usefulness of the Basic Needs Basket to trade unions, civil society and internationalorganisations was also captured. For example, it was discovered that alone the Zambia Union of
Financial Institutions and Allied Workers (ZUFIAW) used the JCTR basket in negotiations with
22 institutions during the first part of the year 2003. In only one instance did an employer reject
the BNB as an unreliable source of information. As for civil society organisations, Women for
Change found the Basket a useful tool in helping villagers understand why teachers go on strike.
Within the broad sector of international organisations, an exceptional example of impact is foundin the Finnish government that took into account the JCTR Basket in determining its level of
support to Zambia’s Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP). The assessment of impact has
provided a valuable benchmark from which to spring forward.
The Expanded Urban Basic Needs Basket
In late 2003 the JCTR began to address one of the concerns from the Poverty Impact Assessment
by consulting a follow-up study to consider how to expand the Basic Needs Basket exercise
beyond its central location in Lusaka. Trade unions, government representatives, civil society
groups and other Zambians have long been asking the JCTR to monitor cost of living in locations
all across Zambia, including the rural areas. Taking into account the limited capacity of theSocial Conditions Research Project, which evolved out of the Economic and Social Development
Project, the consultant suggested a gradual move towards decentralisation by first moving the
BNB to a few urban areas with similar characteristics as Lusaka.
2004 marked the pilot-year of the Expanded Urban Basic Needs Basket, and in January of 2004
trained Field Assistants also conducted the BNB survey in Kabwe, Kitwe, Ndola, Livingstone
and Luanshya. Based upon a discovery that essential food items averaged K462,700 in
Luanshya over the months of April, May and June compared to K456,300 for the same basket offood in Lusaka, the headline of the June 2004 press statement proclaimed: “Basic Needs Basket
Reveals that Luanshya is High Cost of Living Area!” In January of 2005 the cost of essential
food and non-food items for a family of six was K1,340,840 in Lusaka, K1,108,750 in
Livingstone, K988,280 in Ndola, K973,910 in Kitwe, K842,900 in Kabwe and K838,410 in
Luanshya.
A Disastrous Decade
The drastic economic reforms and severe economic shocks faced during the 1990s caused aripple that will have a negative impact on the quality of life within Zambia for many decades tocome. As an historical record of the rapid increase in the amount of Kwacha needed to accessbasic goods and services, the JCTR Basket links the macro-economic instability to its impact on
the lives of the people, especially the most vulnerable. The cost of living sky-rocketed
throughout the 1990s, formal wages failed to keep up, jobs were lost, government investment in7social sectors stagnated, poverty rates increased and the result was a harsh blow to human wellbeing within Zambia. The following statistics from the United Nations Development
Programme and the Central Statistical Office illuminate some of the rippling effects.
On the macro-economic level, the real GDP per capita was US$744 in 1990 and US$780 in 2000
(UNDP). This equates to an annual average growth rate in real GDP per capita of 0.47% overthe 1990s. But the number of people employed in the formal sector declined to 509,136 in 1993
from 629,926 in 1991 and had only returned to 597,953 by 2003 (CSO). This suggests thatthough real GDP per capita did slightly increase over the 1990s, the benefits were absorbed by aformal workforce smaller in both percentage of the population and in nominal numbers; theminimal economic growth of the 1990s was neither broad-based nor pro-poor.
Furthermore, economic instability resulted in rapid inflation and a new challenge for the jobless,the retrenched and even the formally employed to afford basic needs. The JCTR Food Basket
was K6,375 in March of 1991, but had increased by 154% to K49,360 by April of 1993. Even
within US$ terms, the JCTR Food Basket increased by 66% over four years from US$86.70 inMarch 1991 to US$179.18 at the peak of economic instability in March of 1995, though the costof basic food items in Lusaka had returned to a cost of US$99.39 by March of 2001. The rate of
inflation through the first half of the 1990s outpaced the rate of depreciation in the Kwacha,
which explains for the simultaneous inflation even in US$ terms. Though no information on
worker salaries has been uncovered from this same time period, it is safe to say from current
trends that upward adjustments in salaries lagged behind the inflation rates in the country;
essentially, real income for most Zambians fell during the 1990s.
It is little surprise that progress in the primary social sectors has been little to none. Looking at
education, the primary net attendance rate (grades 1-7) was 68% in 1991, 73% in 1993 and 74%
in 2003, and the secondary net attendance rate (grades 8-12) was 20% in 1991, 23% in 1993 and
28% in 2003 (CSO). But the adult literacy rate declined from 72.8% in 1990 to 68% in 2000
(UNDP). This suggests that even though a slightly greater percentage of youth are now
attending grades corresponding to their ages, the quality of the education has actually declined.
Also, the number of malnourished children rose to 60% in 2001 from 43% in the early 1990’s(UNDP). Furthermore, in 1990 the average life expectancy was 54.4 years, in 2000 it was 46.1
years and latest estimates taking into account the full impact of HIV/AIDS put it closer to 37
years (UNDP).
Economic liberalisation in conjunction with serious internal economic shocks such as thecollapse of commercial banks has indirectly caused a stagnation and decline in humandevelopment within Zambia. The JCTR Basket illuminates how this macro-economic instability
affected people’s lives: Zambian families were unable to keep up with the rapidly rising cost ofbasic needs, with the consequences manifesting themselves in a decline in the quality of most
lives. Only now does it appear that the socio-economic situation has begun to return to equivalentlevels prior to the 1990s, but extreme damage to the livelihoods of the people has already been
done. As Zambia begins to once again look forward toward the future, the Basic Needs Basket
will remain an important tool for drawing attention to the plight of the poor and the struggle of
all families to afford a decent standard of living.

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1.2

The JCTR Mission Statement

The mission of the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR), a project of the ZambiaMalawi Province of the Society of Jesus, is to foster from a faith-inspired perspective a criticalunderstanding of current issues. Guided by the church’s social teaching that emphasises humandignity in community, our mission is to generate action for the promotion of the fullness ofhuman life through research, education, advocacy and consultation. Cooperating widely withother groups, our Jesuit sponsorship directs us to a special concern for the poor and assures aninternational linkage to our efforts. We aim to promote an inculturated faith, gender equality andempowerment of local communities in the work of justice and peace and the integrity of creation.
1.3

The Basic Needs Basket Purpose Statement

All Zambians feel the pinch of rising living costs, but as one participant in a recent workshop
observed, “Some people are enslaved without even knowing it, simply paying 1000 Kwacha here
and there and not understanding how systemic or widespread the problem of cost of living has
become!” Cost of living has skyrocketed as incomes, social services and opportunities havestagnated and even declined, creating a harsh situation where the majority of families cannot
afford to lead decent lives. It is in this context that the JCTR undertakes the Basic Needs Basket(BNB), a monthly survey of the cost of essential food and non-food items that comprise the bareminimum basket of goods needed for an urban family of six to survive with a decent and healthy
standard of living.
The Basic Needs Basket provides an accurate, straight-forward look at household needs andtheir corresponding costs in Lusaka, Livingstone, Luanshya, Kabwe, Kitwe and Ndola; it is forthis reason that the BNB has become valuable to the ordinary Zambian in addition to theeconomist, the policy-maker, the unionist, the employee, the marketeer, etc. The BNB
challenges people from all backgrounds to explore the question: “What is the reason for this gap
between family income and the cost of basic needs?” Possible answers to this question cut
across all aspects of society and life, and so do the possible responses.
The Basic Needs Basket is many things to many people: a “shopping list,” a “wish list,” apromotion of basic human rights, an appeal for the restoration of human dignity, a guide topaying a living wage, the evidence to challenge an unjust wage, a statistical measure of risingcosts of living, an historical testimony to a deplorable decade, a basis for opposing an increased
water tariff, a platform for challenging a misplaced government priority, a monthly stimulant todiscuss poverty issues, a monthly lesson in economic literacy, an analytic-tool to stimulate
research, a catalytic-tool to mobilise action, a cry to awaken the people!
1.4

Limitations of the Basic Needs Basket

As with all statistical exercises, the Basic Needs Basket survey has its own limitations andfoundational assumptions. The following points provide important clarification on a number ofconcerns related to methodology and scope.
First and foremost, the BNB does not attempt to portray the cost of living across all parts ofZambia. The JCTR basket has always surveyed a minimum cost of basic needs in Lusaka, andbeginning in 2004, the JCTR has also produced a BNB for Ndola, Kitwe, Luanshya, Kabwe and9Livingstone. In other words, the JCTR Basic Needs Basket provides a realistic and accurate lookat the cost of a decent living standard for a family of six in specific urban areas across Lusaka,
Copperbelt, Central and Southern Provinces. On the other hand, the Central Statistical Office(CSO) produces its own “Basic Needs Basket” that portrays an average cost of basic food andnon-food goods across Zambia as a whole.
The JCTR Basic Needs Basket is not directly comparable to the CSO Basic Needs Basket, butboth statistical measures portray the same reality of high living costs! In January of 2005, thecost of the JCTR Basic Needs Basket was K1,340,840 in Lusaka, K1,108,750 in Livingstone,
K988,280 in Ndola, K973,910 in Kitwe, K842,900 in Kabwe and K838,410 in Luanshya. In thesame month the CSO Basic Needs Basket showed the average cost of living across all of Zambia
at K920,441, which is a very realistic figure considering that this survey assesses the cost ofliving in rural areas in addition to urban centres across the country. In the future, the CSO
intends to measure a province-specific average cost of living, and the JCTR intends to examine
the cost of living in specific rural areas by creating a rural basket. Once again, the JCTR andCSO baskets are not comparable but complimentary, each useful in its own way. The JCTR
BNB is more appropriate to a trade union advocating for just wages for employees within
Livingstone, whereas the CSO basket is more appropriate in measuring poverty levels
countrywide.
Second, it is important to note that the Basic Needs Basket is not based upon actual expendituresof urban Zambian families but on ideal expenditures to promote proper nutrition and health formembers of the average-sized Zambian family of six. The food and non-food items that form thebasket have not been chosen arbitrarily, but represent basic, preferred goods that are commonlypurchased by those urban families that can afford the costs and would ideally be purchased by all
Zambian families. This is an important distinction to note: price was a non-factor in determining
the composition of the BNB.
The criteria for inclusion within the basket was that a good be a basic need of a family inpromotion of nutrition, health or a decent standard of living. For example, the type of housing
surveyed is a basic three-bedroom house to allow one bedroom for the girl-child, one for theboy-child and one for the parents. According to the UN Global Shelter Strategy, to which
Zambia is a signatory, “adequate housing” encompasses adequate security, adequate privacy,adequate space, adequate lighting and adequate location with regards to work and basic facilities.
The rental fee for a three-bedroom house is significantly higher than what most Zambian families
are actually paying for housing, but putting costs aside, the three-bedroom house is theappropriate size to promote a decent standard of living for a family of six.
Third, from a practical perspective, the JCTR Basic Needs Basket will likely never be theofficially recognised statistical measure of cost of living in Zambia. The JCTR has neither thecapacity nor the intention to conduct intensive, nation-wide surveys of rising costs of basic
needs. On the contrary, the aim of the JCTR is to monitor the cost of a decent standard of livingin sample locations across Zambia, to widely disseminate this information in a simple, userfriendly format to Zambian families and other stakeholders and to encourage others to actively
use this information to achieve more human lives for the nation’s poorest.
Although the Basic Needs Basket has direct implication on the determination of the nation’s
poverty datum line and the assessment of the prevalence of poverty, the Central Statistical Office10

as a government body has a greater capacity to carry out comprehensive statistical exercises thatcover the breadth and width of Zambia. The JCTR maintains the important role as a faith-basedorganisation to critically evaluate the work of the CSO and add a value-dimension to the basket
monitoring by portraying the cost of essential goods to promote the human dignity of the person.
Fourth, from a statistical point of view, there are two significant weaknesses in the Lusaka basket
data that make it difficult yet not impossible to undertake long-term trends analysis. For those of
you who intend to use the data in this fashion, please note the following two crucial
clarifications!
One, at the end of 2001, the JCTR Food Basket underwent modifications in content,
quantity and scope to form the more complete Basic Needs Basket. The recognized implicationof this change was that the new data would not be directly comparable to the old data. Please
note that the Food Basket statistics are still self-comparable, as with the BNB statistics, for both
the Food Basket and the Basic Needs Basket have been conducted using nearly uniform
methodology. Also, many individual commodities such as mealie meal and charcoal arecomparable from 1997 up to the present. For those who remain extremely interested incomparing costs from the 1990s to the present, please refer to Appendix D that includes a graphcombining Food Basket Data with Basic Needs Basket Data from 1997-2004, based upon a few
simplifying assumptions.
Two, referring only to the BNB data, there is a significant jump in the cost of housing
taking affect at the beginning of 2003 and again at the beginning of 2005, simply because rent
fees are often adjusted upwards on an annual basis. Since the cost of housing comprises roughly
40% of the basket, these annual adjustments in rent (excluding 2004) cause sudden, drastic
increases in the overall cost of the Basic Needs Basket. For those interested in seeing a morecongruent trend line, it might be helpful to make backward adjustments to BNB statistics toapply each rent increase in twelve monthly instalments.
2.0

Basket Scope and Methodology

Simple and accurate. This phrase forms the essence of the JCTR Basket in all of its forms.
Numerous books have demonstrated extensive methodologies for undertaking a “bread basket”
monitoring activity and surely the JCTR Basket has been influenced by the discussions
surrounding this issue. However, the JCTR Basket has never attempted to create model families
or count calories or factor in average expenses due to variable needs such as clothing,transportation, recreation, etc. What the JCTR Basket has always done well is to determine what
products urban Zambians need and prefer and to estimate what quantity of these goods anaverage-sized Zambian family should minimally consume each month to live healthily.
To initially form the Food Basket a number of families in Lusaka were surveyed on the goods
they preferred and the necessary quantities they needed each month. To form the Basic Needs
Basket, the initial basket was modified on the recommendations of statisticians, civil society
members, academics and nutritionists to make it more nutritious and representative of the totalityof family needs. In other words, the current composition of the Basic Needs Basket is the resultof expert advice from average Zambians and from academics, thus achieving the difficult
combination of scientific accuracy and technical simplicity.

11With a basket in place, the only other aspect of a basket exercise is the monthly collection ofprices from markets representing a cross-section of a city. Of course, this is an over-simplistic
summary of the JCTR Basket methodology, and the following pages reveal how the JCTR
maintains an accurate survey of cost of living amidst the unpredictable nature of the Zambian
market.
Lusaka Food Basket (1991-2001)

2.1

The Lusaka Food Basket survey was carried out between 1991 and 2001 using a relatively
consistent methodology. Based upon a survey administered by the JCTR at St. Ignatius parish to
determine the most common expenditures to meet basic needs for a family of six, the following
types and quantities of goods were brought together to form the Food Basket:
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x

Three 25 kilogram bags of mealie-meal (breakfast)Two 90 kilogram bags of charcoal
Two 2.5 litre containers of cooking oil
A 30-day supply of vegetables (rape, tomato and onion)
8 kilograms of meat (brisket)
Four units of 10 eggs
30 loafs of plain bread
8 kilograms of sugar
1 kilogram of salt
Two 250 gram packages of tea
Six tablets of soap (Geisha)
Four 500 gram packages of wash soap (Surf)
Two 100 g jars of jelly (Vaseline)

Each survey averaged costs from primarily the same four locations: Northmead, Longacres,
Town Centre and Soweto. In 1998, with the introduction of Shoprite to Lusaka, Town Centre
Shoprite replaced Town Centre Market in the survey. The logic behind choosing these four
markets was that they provided a sample of the variation in prices between low, medium andhigh-density neighbourhoods, with Long Acres as a low-density market, Northmead and Town
Centre (Shoprite) as medium-density markets and Soweto as a high-density market.
Two primary observations sum up the limitation of the Food Basket as a measure of the cost ofbasic needs. First, the food items included in the basket likely fell short of providing a nutritious
diet for a family of six over a period of one month. The initial change to address this limitation
was in 2001 with the publishing of costs of a few “supplementary nutritional items” that includedbeans, kapenta and milk. Second, the Food Basket did not consider such essential non-food
expenditures as clothing, housing, water, electricity, fuel, transport, education, health care andhygiene products to name a few of the suggestions given to he JCTR. The re-formulation of thebasket in 2002 addressed each of these two issues to create the Basic Needs Basket.

12

2.2

The Basic Needs Basket (2002-Present)

The same methodology is used to conduct the Basic Needs Basket in Lusaka, Livingstone,
Kabwe, Ndola, Kitwe and Luanshya. Therefore, Section 2.2 provides an explanation of general
BNB methodology, while Section 2.2.1 looks at the specific scope of the Lusaka BNB and
Section 2.2.2 examines the scope of the BNB in each of the Expanded Urban areas.
In January 2002 the Basic Needs Basket first appeared in its new format displaying the cost of
essential non-food items such as housing, water and electricity in addition to the cost of the basic
food items. The changes to the basket were undertaken through a consultative process withrepresentatives from the Central Statistical Office, the National Food and Nutrition Commission,
the Programme Against Malnutrition, the Civil Servants Union of Zambia, the Catholic
Commission for Justice, Development and Peace, the Zambia Alliance of Women, the media andother stakeholders who met and agreed upon the new format and composition of the basket. The
two primary goals of the meeting were to make the basket more adequate in representation of theessential commodities that a Lusaka family should be spending its money on to meet a decent
standard of living, and to make the basket more accurate in terms of nutrition and market
preferences. The composition of the BNB reflects the consensus reached during this meeting ofstakeholders during the 3rd Quarter of 2001.
Once again, the JCTR Basic Needs Basket was not formed by calculating calories or using someother theoretical method of determining the needs of a family. However, according tocalculations performed in 2004 by statisticians of the Central Statistical Office, the food items
represented in the BNB actually come within 100 calories per day of the theoretical minimal
nutritional need of a family of six in Zambia! The following examination of the make-up of thebasket does not provide justification for the commodities or quantities included in the BNB(those in bold), but examines which brand or type of commodity is included in the BNB andwhat methodology is used by the Field Assistants to survey the prices of these commodities. To
ensure consistency and comparability of the BNB between Lusaka and the five additional
Expanded Urban areas, the following clarifications were made at a workshop held in Decemberof 2004 between the Secretariat and Field Assistants from Livingstone, Kabwe, Kitwe, Ndolaand Luanshya.
Essential Food Items:x

Mealie Mealo Quantity: 3 x 25 Kg bagso Type: Breakfast Mealo Explanation: It was agreed that Breakfast Meal is superior to Roller Meal in both quality
and preference. From a practical perspective, many men and women use Breakfast Meal
because it lasts longer and is more convenient to use, and therefore it is the preferredcommodity.

13

x

Beans
o Quantity: 2 Kgs
o Type: Local preferenceo Explanation: It was agreed that there is little difference in price or weight between typesof beans, therefore the red, white, or mixed beans are all suitable for collecting prices.
Also, it was discussed that the quantity of 1 kg is approximately two of the plastic yellow
scoops used by marketeers across Zambia, with this quantity subject to monthly
verification by scale.

x

Kapentao Quantity: 2 Kgs
o Type: Siavonga or Mpulungu
o Explanation: It was agreed that Siavonga kapenta is the preferred type of kapenta.. In
those towns where Siavonga kapenta cannot be purchased (Luanshya, Ndola and Kitwe),
Mpulungu kapenta is the market preference. In those cities where both Siavonga andMpulungu kapenta can be purchased (Lusaka), Siavonga kapenta remains the commodity
to be surveyed for the basket. The portable scale should be consistently used to measure
a quantity of 1 kg.

x

Dry Fisho Quantity: 1 Kg
o Type: Average-sizedo Explanation: It was agreed that dry fish has been the single most difficult commodity tomeasure in a consistent and accurate fashion. The fish varies in size depending on theday, market and stand. Also, the number of fish in a pile varies with the size of the fish
and the preference of the marketeer. Therefore, it was decided that the scale should beconsistently used to identify how many fish make 1 kg and how much this would cost at agiven stand. It is up to the Field Assistant to use his or her good judgement to reportaccurate figures for dry fish.

x

Meat (mixed cut)o Quantity: 4 Kgs
o Type: Butcheryo Explanation: It was agreed that only meat found in butchery shops should be recorded
since other meat sold in market stands has a higher likelihood of being contaminated byharmful bacteria or go bad quickly.

xEggs
o Quantity: 2 Units of 10 eggs
o Type: No specificationo Explanation: It was agreed that in circumstances where a quantity of 10 is not found, theprice of one egg should be calculated and multiplied by 10 to find the unit price.

14

x

Vegetables (greens)o Quantity: 7.5 Kgs
o Type: Rapeo Explanation: It was agreed that Rape was the most abundant type of greens and therefore
the exclusive type of greens to cost for the BNB. The scale should be used consistently
to determine the number of bundles that make-up 1 kg.

x

Tomatoo Quantity: 4 Kgs
o Type: Average-sizedo Explanation: Following similar rationale as for Dry Fish, it was agreed that Field
Assistant should use the scale in a consistent manner based upon his or her best
judgement to accurately record the price of 1 kg of tomatoes.

x

Onion
o Quantity: 4 Kgs
o Type: Average-sizedo Explanation: Following similar rationale as for Dry Fish and Tomato, it was agreed that a
Field Assistant should use the scale in a consistent manner based upon his or her best
judgement to accurately record the price of 1 kg of onions.

xMilko Quantity: 1 x 2 litres or 4 x 500 millilitreso Type: Fresh or Long Lifeo Explanation: To everyone’s surprise, it was realised that some Field Assistants werecollecting the price for fresh milk and some were collecting figures for long life milk.
After much discussion, it was decided that in those cities where fresh milk is widely
available (Lusaka and Livingstone), the price of fresh milk preferably in a 2 litre quantity
would be recorded. For those cities in which fresh milk is not widely available (Ndola,
Kitwe, Kabwe, and Luanshya), the price of long life milk will be recorded in 500
millilitre packs.

x

Cooking Oilo Quantity: 2 x 2 litres or (8/5) x 2.5 litreso Brand: Local preferenceo Explanation: It was agreed that to remain consistent with the National Food and Nutrition
Commission’s recommended monthly quantity of 4 litres cooking oil for a family of six,the preferred size of cooking oil to be recorded would be 2 litres. However, for thosecities where 2.5 litres is more commonly found, the price of a 2.5 litre container would berecorded and then the equivalent price for the 4 litre total would be calculated.

x

Bread
o Quantity: 30 x 1 loaf
o Type: Local preference (ordinary white bread)o Explanation: It was agreed that there is little major variation in bread types except for
brown and white.

15

x

Sugar
o Quantity: 8 Kgs
o Type: Zambiano Explanation: It was agreed that the price of sugar from the Zambia Sugar Company
should be recorded.

xSalto Quantity: 1 Kg
o Type: Iodisedo Explanation: It was agreed that the salt should be Iodised realising the added nutritionalvalue of iodised salt.

xTea (leaves)o Quantity: 1 x 500 g
o Brand: Tips
o Explanation: It was agreed that Tips is the preferred brand of tea and it is widely
available across the nation. The preferred quantity is 500 grams, yet the price of smaller
bags of Tips Tea may be found and recorded as such on the Collection Template.

Essential Non-Food Items:x

Charcoalo Quantity: 2 x 90 Kg, (18/5) x 50 Kg or (36/5) x 25 Kg
o Type: Local availability
o Explanation: It was agreed that the preferred quantity size is 90 kg. In those markets
where charcoal is only sold in 50 kg or 25 kg sizes, the price of 25 kg or 50 kg is to berecorded. An equivalent price for the total quantity of 180 kg will then be calculated.

xSoapo Quantity: 10 x 150 g tablets
o Brand: Lifebuoyo Explanation: It was agreed that Lifebuoy is currently the preferred soap across all BNB
towns.

x

Wash Soap (paste)o Quantity: 4 x 400 g
o Brand: Boomo Explanation: It was agreed that Boom is currently the preferred wash paste across all
BNB cities.

x

Jelly
o Quantity: 1 x 500 mL
o Brand: Vaseline / Local preferenceo Explanation: It was agreed that Vaseline or an alternative local preference should be
included in the BNB.

16

xElectricity
o Provider: ZESCOo Type of Connection: 900 units
o Explanation: It was agreed that in those cities where multiple parties provide electricalconnections, the price of electricity should be taken from ZESCO as the most prevalent
Zambian electrical company. Also, the survey should be based upon the tariff for a 900
unit connection that provides sufficient energy for the use of a few basic appliances suchas a stove and a refrigerator. The price should be recorded as either an average value or a
range of values.

x

Water
o Type of Connection: Medium density three-bedroom houseo Provider: National Water and Sewerage Company
o Explanation: It was agreed that this price should be determined by contacting the local
Water and Sewerage Company in each BNB city. Also, the average price for water
should be based on average costs for a medium-density three-bedroom house. The priceshould be recorded as either an average value or a range of values.

x

Housingo Type: Basic three-bedroom houseo Location: Medium density
o Explanation: It was agreed that a three-bedroom house is the basic size of house toprovide a decent standard of living for a family of six, imagining one room for theparents, one for the boy children and one for the girl children. To determine an average
range of values for a basic three-bedroom house, the Field Assistant should make contact
with tenants in at least three different medium-density communities for monthly rates ofrent. In most cities, the former council houses with three bedrooms provide the standard
for a basic three-bedroom house.

Other Additional Costs:x

Educationo Quantity: PTA per year
o Type: Basico Explanation: It was agreed that the cost of basic education (grades 1-9) should also betaken in each community to highlight an important family cost in addition to those thatsum to make the BNB. Since school fees have been withdrawn, some costs of education
have been transferred into the annual fees owed to the Parent Teacher Association (PTA).
To determine a range of costs for education, the Field Assistant should phone or visit
schools in at least three different communities across town.

x

Healtho Type: Monthly scheme or consultation fee
o Explanation: It was agreed that it would also be helpful to highlight some of the costassociated with health services, either providing information on monthly schemes or the
consultation fee to see a doctor, nurse, clinical officer, etc. Each Field Assistant should
determine the most appropriate cost depending on location.
17

xTransporto Quantity: Three Routes
o Type: Round trip bus fareo Explanation: It was agreed that each Field Assistant should determine and monitor thecost of three round-trip bus routes to highlight some likely additional costs to be accruedby a family each month.

Guidelines for Data Collection:
The following guidelines currently provide direction to all Field Assistants in the survey ofprices for the Basic Needs Basket:x

The gathering of prices for the calculation of the cost of the BNB shall be done every
month from the same identified retail outlets in each respective town.

x

Due to variation in sizes of some BNB items (dry fish, tomato, onion, kapenta, greens,beans), the scale provided by the JCTR shall be used consistently and in the good
judgement of each Field Assistant to record prices for accurate weights.

x

Prices shall be collected at all times from the same identified brand names or types(Breakfast mealie meal, Zambian sugar, Tips tea, Lifebuoy soap and Boom wash paste)
to ensure uniformity across all BNB towns. For those items not available in all BNB
towns (2 litre cooking oil, fresh milk, Siavonga kapenta), appropriate alternatives (2.5
litre cooking oil, long life milk, Mpulungu kapenta) shall be recorded and clearly labelled
as such.

x

In addition to collection of data for essential food and non-food items, prices shall also becollected for additional items that include Basic Education (PTA per year), Health(monthly scheme or consultation fee) and transport (bus fare for three round-trip routes)x

The Collection Template distributed by the JCTR shall be used to record prices from eachretail outlet and prices of the additional items. Also, a separate sheet of paper shall be
used to explain any qualitative information relating to price variations learned frommarketeers or traders.

xInformation shall be collected from the 25th to the 27th day of each month and shall be
faxed or emailed to the JCTR on or before the 28th of each month.

x

The calculation of the average cost of the Basic Needs Basket shall be done by the JCTR
and 100 copies of the computed BNB will be mailed to Field Assistants within threebusiness days following the 28th (before the end of the month when possible).

x

Field Assistants shall distribute the monthly BNB to strategic stakeholders within theirrespective towns.

18

x

All brands and quantities within the essential food and non-food items shall be reviewed
on a quarterly basis for variation in market preference or product availability. Electricity,
housing, water and health fees shall be updated on a quarterly basis. The cost of
education shall be adjusted on a yearly basis as new PTA fees are determined. Transportcharges shall be reviewed to reflect changes as they occur.

x

A review workshop shall be held on an annual basis in Lusaka in conjunction with anational stakeholder forum.

Located within Appendix B is an example of the collection template used by Field Assistants in
Lusaka and in the expanded urban areas, and also a demonstration of calculations for the January2005 Basic Needs Basket for Lusaka, Livingstone, Luanshya, Ndola, Kitwe and Kabwe.
2.2.1 Scope of the Lusaka BNB
Most of the details of the Lusaka Basic Needs Basket have already been explained, thus thefollowing points intend to illuminate only those unique factors that distinguish it from the BNB
in other cities.
Beginning in January of 2002, as the Food Basket transformed into the Basic Needs Basket, thenumber of markets included in the Lusaka survey increased from four to seven. Since 2002 theseven sampling locations have included Northmead Market and City Centre Shoprite as retail
outlets in low-density communities, Kabwata as a market in a medium-density neighbourhoodand Matero Market, Chawama Market, City Market and Chainda Market as representative ofhigh-density compounds. The cost of living in Lusaka is the highest among all BNB cities,
particularly due to a lack of decent, affordable housing in the city. Appendix B contains asample calculation for the Lusaka BNB that provides a closer look at variation of prices acrossthe capital city.
One other important distinction to make about the Lusaka BNB is that it is the only one toinclude comparison figures of “take-home pay” for a few types of formal employees. The wages
for a teacher, secretary in the civil service, nurse, police officer and security guard are updated
by the JCTR with input from the Civil Servants Union of Zambia (CSUZ) calculations of realsalaries after the deduction of statutory taxes. Realising that the majority of the working
population earns income from the informal sector, it is the intention of the JCTR to begin
highlighting the monthly take-home pay of a few individuals working informally as traders,marketeers, stone-crushers, etc.
2.2.2 Scope of the Expanded Urban BNB
Beginning in January of 2004 the Basic Needs Basket survey moved out from the capital city of
Lusaka to also highlight cost of living in five other towns that include Luanshya, Kitwe, Ndola,
Kabwe and Livingstone, which expands the BNB to Central, Copperbelt and Southern Provincesin addition to Lusaka Province. These cities were recommended for inclusion within the BNB
survey not only because of their similar characteristics to Lusaka, but because of some uniquefactors also. The following paragraphs briefly mention some background on each of the towns
part of the expanded urban BNB, including the names of the retail outlets averaged in the19monthly price survey. Please see Appendix B for a specific look at the variation in prices acrossmarkets within each city.
Livingstone

Livingstone is considered the tourist capital of Zambia, located on the edge of the magnificent
Victoria Falls in Southern Province. But many feel that the growth of the tourism industry has
occurred without a corresponding growth in jobs. The manufacturing sector of the city has
collapsed since the early 1990s, and approximately 40 textile companies alone have closed
down. Important economic activities include cross-boarder trade, and the government remains
the largest formal employer in the city. As revealed through the BNB survey, the cost of living
in Livingstone is relatively high particularly due to the cost of charcoal, electricity, water andhousing.
The following six retail outlets are included in the monthly Basic Needs Basket survey: Town
Centre Market, Dambwa Market, Maramba Market, Mbita Market, Elaine Brittel and Town
Centre Shoprite. Town Centre Market is the central distribution point for most goods andcorrespondingly shows the lowest prices for many food items such as beans, kapenta and othervegetables. Elaine Brittel is the furthest surveyed market from the centre of town and these same
food items are most expensive in this distant location. Shoprite usually has the most competitive
price for Mealie Meal and soap yet usually charges significantly more for the vegetables, meatand cooking oil.
Kabwe

Kabwe is a town located in Central Province that has also been affected negatively by the
downturn in the economy over the past two decades. The lead and zinc mines that once provided
the main source of employment in the town have closed down. Remarkably, a few industries in
Kabwe have survived economic liberalisation and privatisation, including Mulungushi Textiles
and Zambia Railways. Most residents earn a living through trading and farming.
The following five retail outlets are included in the monthly Basic Needs Basket survey:
Kamanda Market, Katondo Market, Nakoli Market, Lukanga Market and Shoprite. The cost ofliving in Kabwe is relatively affordable compared especially to Lusaka and Livingstone, yet theeconomic opportunities are also proportionally less. The cost of dry fish and kapenta areparticularly low in Kabwe due to its close proximity to the Lukanga Swamps. Also, the average
cost of rent for a three-bedroom house is towards the lower end of the spectrum compared to
Livingstone and especially Lusaka.
Ndola

Ndola was once considered the commercial capital of the Copperbelt but the city has faced
drastic industrial decline since the early 1990s. The major sources of employment for residents
include government offices and parastatal companies that include ZAMTEL, ZESCO andZANACO. Also, surviving industries include Bwana Mkubwa Mine, SWARP and Mukuba
Textiles. Trading within the informal sector has become the most prevalent economic activity.

20

The following five retail outlets are included in the monthly Basic Needs Basket survey: MasalaMarket, Mushili Market, Lubuto Market, Chifubu Market and Town Centre Shoprite. The costof living as measured by the BNB remains slightly more expensive than that in neighbouring
Kitwe, particularly due to higher costs of basic food items. This suggests that distributors may
now be bringing wholesale goods directly to Kitwe instead of Ndola. Also, there does not seemto be much variation in costs across the four markets included in the survey, but Shoprite prices
appear slightly more expensive on most goods.
Kitwe

Many now consider Kitwe to be the thriving economic centre of the Copperbelt, primarily
because the mining industry has remained the mainstay of the economy. As with Ndola, thegovernment remains the largest formal employer in the town in terms of line ministries and city
council. As with the other cities, the primary economic activity of most residents remains
trading within the informal sector.
The following five retail outlets are included in the monthly Basic Needs Basket survey:
Chamboli Market, Nakadoli Market, Chimwemwe Market, Chisokone Market and Town Centre
Shoprite. As mentioned, costs within Kitwe are quite comparable to neighbouring Ndola, yetremain slightly more affordable due to lower food costs. The data suggests that Kitwe has
become the central distribution point of the Copperbelt for some goods such as kapenta and dry
fish. But the water tariff remains slightly higher than that for Ndola.
LuanshyaLuanshya is a town located on the Copperbelt that is relatively small in size compared to both
Kitwe and Ndola. The JCTR initially had no intention of including Luanshya within the survey
area, yet rumours of a very sad socio-economic situation in the town compelled the JCTR tovisit. The economy of the town had revolved around copper mining, but the closure of the Roan
Antelope Mining Company of Zambia left thousands of workers without employment andterminal benefits. Poverty levels in the area are very high and most residents survive throughsmall-scale farming or petty trading.
The following five retail outlets are included in the monthly Basic Needs Basket survey:
Mpatamatu Market, Buseko Market, Roan Market, Mikomfwa Market and Town Centre
Shoprite. The average cost of essential food items is highest in Luanshya among the six BNB
cities, particularly due to the cost of kapenta, dry fish and some vegetables. Overall, the cost ofliving in Luanshya remains the lowest among all six locations especially because of theaffordability of housing.
Capacity Building

During the pilot-year of the Expanded Urban Basic Needs Basket, the JCTR helped build thecapacity of Field Assistants through four interactions. The Field Assistants were contacted by
the JCTR prior to a visit to each of these towns, and the first contact involved cooperative
selection of representative markets across each town in addition to an initial BNB survey in eachlocation.

21

Shortly after, the JCTR brought all of the Field Assistants together in Lusaka for a workshop on
methodology that included a hands-on training by the Lusaka Field Assistant on themethodology of collecting prices. Returning from this workshop, all of the Field Assistants
began collecting monthly information in January of 2004.
For a third meeting, the Lusaka Field Assistant made monitoring visits between July and Octoberof 2004 to ensure consistency across all locations. His key observation during these trips wasthat there remained a number of uncertainties in methodology that needed to be clarified before
the Basic Needs Basket could be published outside Lusaka.
In response to this recommendation, a final workshop brought all six Field Assistants together
again in Lusaka during early December of 2004. Participants meticulously discussed therationale behind every item included in the basket in order to assure consistency in spite ofvariations in markets across the country. Also, the discussions yielded a fuller understanding of
the usefulness of the BNB and the appropriate advocacy strategy.
2.3

Future Rural Basket

In the second quarter of 2005 the JCTR will begin the process of taking the basket to the rural
areas to begin illuminating the challenges faced by the majority of Zambian families in leading
decent lives. Realising the drastic differences between life in the rural and urban areas, inaddition to the variation of customs and preferences across the nine provinces, the expansion torural areas will require serious and careful reflection. It is the realistic hope of the JCTR that apilot survey of rural cost of living will begin by the end of 2005 and that Field Assistants acrossall nine provinces will be providing accurate glimpses of the challenges faced outside of urban
centres by the end of 2006.
3.0

Basic Needs Basket Advocacy

The JCTR conducts the BNB to collect information on how cost of living affects Zambianfamilies, in order to advocate for changes in the ordering of society to promote a move from lessto more human conditions. Without this crucial dimension of advocacy, the BNB would simply
be another passive statistical exercise. The evolution of the JCTR basket has been guided by acommitment to making it more useful to people from all walks of life. The following sections
look at the BNB strategy of decentralised advocacy and the usefulness of the basket to the many
strategic stakeholders.
3.1

Advocacy Strategy

The JCTR has no intention of being at the forefront of all advocacy efforts using the Basic Needs
Basket, especially realising that the JCTR staff is located within Lusaka whereas advocacy istaking place across all of the country. There even recently emerged a story of a traditional chiefusing the BNB to encourage youths to remain in the village in light of the high cost of living
within urban areas! Thus, the advocacy effort is to be decentralised and carried-out by strategic
stakeholders that range from community groups to MPs to researchers to trade unions. The
JCTR will strive to provide both the fuel and a spark to ignite fires of positive action across thenation.

22

The fuel produced by the JCTR is the monthly Basic Needs Basket and the other publications thatanalyse trends in cost of living and help people better understand the basket. The challenge for
the JCTR is to package the data in the appropriate manner for each specific stakeholder, so that
the Zambian woman doesn’t receive electricity to power her mbaula and the World Bankeconomist doesn’t receive 50 kilograms of charcoal for his oven! A few importantconsiderations include language, format and simplicity of the BNB data to assure eachstakeholder the most success in understanding and using the data for advocacy. The JCTR willcontinue with the collection of cost of living data within Lusaka, within the Expanded Urban
BNB towns and beginning hopefully in 2006 also within determined rural areas.
In the beginning of 2005, the Social Conditions Research Project will also create a “BNB
Information Package” to facilitate simpler explanations and more adequate understanding of the
BNB. The contents will include this comprehensive overview of the basket, a simple brochurehighlighting the usefulness of the BNB to everyone, a questionnaire to be distributed with the
BNB brochure asking for feedback on this JCTR exercise and a homily on how the BNB relates
to the Church’s Social Teaching (CST).
Besides producing the fuel, the JCTR will also be the central point of distribution of the BNB
data and materials to stakeholders. Each month, the JCTR delivers the data within Lusaka andeach Expanded Urban BNB town to strategic stakeholders through email, fax, ground mail and
the JCTR website <www.jctr.org.zm>. In the case of the towns of Luanshya, Livingstone,
Kitwe, Ndola and Kabwe, the JCTR will mail each month 100 copies of the processed BNB data
to the Field Assistants in these areas, who in turn will distribute the copies to marketeers, tointerested colleagues and to other strategic stakeholders located within each of these towns.
Also, as other BNB materials are created (such as the “BNB Information Package”), they will be
distributed to strategic stakeholders through the JCTR representatives in each BNB location.
No matter how much fuel, it takes a spark to create flames and an eventual fire; each member of
the JCTR has a responsibility to spark little fires with the BNB by proactively talking about the
BNB and cost of living issues. The spark can take many forms, including workshops withstrategic stakeholders, interviews, feature newspaper articles, meetings with community groups,
phone calls to MPs, drama presentations and conversations with friends and family.
3.2

Strategic Stakeholders

Basic Needs Basket advocacy must be decentralised and front-lined by strategic partners from allwalks of life, especially at the grassroots. Ideally, existing networks and groups of people will
embrace the BNB message and chose their own battles to fight using the cost of living
information. This section suggests the possible usefulness of the BNB to a wide-range ofstrategic stakeholders. Hopefully your creativity will be sparked by one of the following ideas!

23

x

Persons: The ESSENTIAL stakeholders as possessors of human dignityo BNB to awake individuals to the fact that they are enslaved by the high cost of livingo BNB to empower people with a sense of their human right to basic food and non-fooditems and a decent standard of livingo BNB a testament to the systemic nature of high living costs and low availability ofopportunities (i.e. employment, adequate housing, affordable education and health)o BNB a tool for economic literacy (personal budgeting, understanding relationshipbetween the economy and the person)o BNB a tool for civic education (understanding how socio-economic policies relate to
the people, encouraging responsible voting)x

Families: The cornerstone of the nationo BNB a tool for family budgetingo BNB a guide for a nutritional family dieto BNB a shopping listo BNB a wish list for families to strive towards
o BNB an encouragement for paying just wages to support staff (maid, guard, gardener)x

Communities: The most grassroots level of organisationo BNB a guide in negotiation of appropriate levies for health, water, electricity,
education, waste management, sanitationo BNB a tool to be used by community members to keep local councils accountableo BNB an entry-point to training for transformation (allow a community to identify
own problems in light of BNB and develop own solutions)x

Religious Organisations: The moral foundation spanning every district of Zambia
o BNB to keep religious leaders in touch with living conditions of memberso BNB to help religious leaders stress dignity of the human person, sanctity of work
and importance of a faith that seeks justiceo BNB a guide to setting appropriate membership feeso BNB an encouragement to paying just wages to all employees of church, mosque, etc.
o BNB a monthly topic of discussion for small Christian communitiesx

Employers: The source of income to many households
o BNB to provide a neutral, factual representation of living costs of employees
o BNB a basis for conducting wage reviewso BNB an encouragement to pay just, family wages for employeesxPrivate Sector: The emerging prime employer of labour and provider of goods and services
o BNB to encourage discussion and practice of business ethics within the sectoro BNB to help private companies understand Zambian markets across the countryo BNB to help companies set appropriate prices in accordance with willingness to pay
o BNB to spark entrepreneurship by showing prevailing market preferences and costs

24xFormal Employees: The minority of the working population earning regular salaries
o BNB to provide objective assessment of cost of living for wage negotiationso BNB as a platform to lobby for changes in the PAYE exemption rate and tax bracketso BNB as evidence of the wide gap between cost of living and the take home pay ofmany formal employees
o BNB as empowerment to the working pooro BNB as a measure of entitlement to families of workers injured or killed on the job

xInformal Employees: The majority of the working population earning unpredictable incomeo BNB as basis to negotiate for a living wage from informal employers
o BNB to help informal employees formulate small-scale business venturesx

Traders: The middlemen moving goods from producers to vendorso BNB a guide to prevailing prices across markets and clue to finding profitable routes
o BNB as challenge to traders to pay and sell fairly to both producers and vendorsxMarketeers: The vendors of most basic food items to urban familieso BNB a guide to setting appropriate prices within a cityo BNB as input into the organisation of marketeers in a just mannero BNB a device to challenge unjust tariffs or taxes within a market

x

Small-Scale Farmers: The producers of most basic food items for urban consumers
o BNB to generate awareness of preferences and prices within urban markets
o BNB a tool for developing strategies to mitigate the effects of price seasonality
o BNB as encouragement to diversify crops beyond maizeo BNB a call for farmers to organise themselves into cooperatives in order toeffectively manage maize cropx

Unions: The strong, organised voice of wage earnerso BNB a negotiating tool to encourage compromise between both partieso BNB as demonstration of the importance of non-wage benefits such as fair housing
allowance, health care and mealie mealo BNB as moral foundation to justify a worker strikexMedia Houses: The primary disseminators of contemporary information to the peopleo BNB to generate monthly public discussion on the problem of high cost of livingo BNB to inform people of their human right to basic needs such as food and sheltero BNB to bring cost of living perspective to all public debateso BNB as theme in creative programmes to bring socio-economic issues to the people25

x

Government: The authors, implementers and enforcers of policies to benefit the peopleo BNB as link between leaders and the people struggling to earn a decent livingo BNB as challenge to the prioritisation of ministry expenditureo BNB as discussion-tool between MPs and constituents to inspire formation ofeffective, pro-poor legislationo BNB as specific call to address ineffective agricultural policies, lack of a holistic planfor development or job creation, excessive rural to urban migration, inadequate
housing in urban areas, insufficient strategic grain reserves, absence of a minimum
wage law, a low PAYE tax exemption rate, high inflation rateso BNB as call for wages and allowances that are neither too high nor too lowx

Utilities: The suppliers of energy and water for a growing portion of the populationo BNB as guide to setting appropriate tariffs across different urban communities
o BNB as evidence of growing deforestation around urban centresx

Political Parties: The ideological foundation of present and future leaderso BNB to encourage party manifestoes to address cost of living issues
o BNB to challenge political squabbles as wasteful and out-of-toucho BNB a talking-point during elections

x

Health Care Workers: The frontline nurturers of the physical well-being of the peopleo BNB as illustration of poverty’s contribution to the spread of HIV/AIDSo BNB as input in creating holistic health care plan for the nationo BNB to help set affordable fees for needy parentso BNB testament to the inability of families to afford preventative health measuresx

Councils: The most grassroots government representatives of community needso BNB as basis for consulting communities on particular needs and challengeso BNB as tool to help Resident Development Committees set priorities
o BNB as input into setting affordable local tariffsx

Educators: The primary conveyers of knowledge to the peopleo BNB as illustration of the importance of family-planningo BNB as teaching aid for lessons on budgeting, nutrition, economics, etc.
o BNB to support demand for adequate wages and benefits such as housing allowancex

Students: The most widespread, dynamic source of human potential in societyo BNB as spark to parents and PTAs to demand a better education system
o BNB as input into agreement upon appropriate PTA fees for students
o BNB as testament to how challenging situations at home hinder classroom learning

26

x

NGOs: The government watchdogs and projects of compassion for the peopleo BNB to help NGOs understand the present challenges faced by the people and whenand how to interveneo BNB as one tool to hold government accountable to its promises and priorities
o BNB as challenge to the excessive spending in some government ministries
o BNB as measure of the impact of external debt and trade imbalances on peopleo BNB as tool to teach rural and urban people about ESC rights, the cause of strikes, etcxMicro-Finance Institutions: The lenders of money for investment in the futureo BNB to provide understanding of safe, effective loans to entrepreneurial peopleo BNB to suggest effectiveness of seasonal loans or subsidies to farmers and othersx

Researchers: The collectors of information for prudent action and decision-makingo BNB as a city-specific “basic needs inflation rate”
o BNB as historical record of the simultaneous rise in living costs and decline in humandevelopment indicatorso BNB as input into studies comparing wages to the cost of livingo BNB to help researchers make recommendations to all levels of society on cost ofliving issues

xInternational Organisations: The pipeline of resources for the betterment of the nationo BNB as historical evidence of the Structural Adjustment Programme’s harsh impact
on the well-being of the peopleo BNB as challenge to the IMF to provide targeted interjection of grants to benefit themost poor and vulnerable people in societyo BNB as input into the creation and implementation of World Bank projects
o BNB as information for UNICEF, UNDP, UNAIDS, UNRS and other UN offices tofurther understanding of the Zambian context and implement appropriate projects
o BNB as more informative measure of poverty than the abstract “dollar a day”
o BNB as understandable overview of Zambia’s struggles for bilateral donors
considering whether or not to give aid

x

Chiefs: The most immediate leadership of the majority of rural peopleo BNB as a warning of high living costs to those considering leaving for a cityo BNB a guide for organising villagers to sell produce when price is high27Appendix A: Press Releases
x Summary of Each Press Releasex Press Releases from January 1999–Present (soft copy only)Summary of Press Releases on the Food Basket and Basic Needs Basket from January 1999 to the Present

Month Basket

Headline

LusakaDate Basket

Headline

240920Basket Rises to OverK240,000 (Alex Muyabe)

Mar-99 252160

Food Basket / Bread Lineon the Rise

Aug-99 243100

Cost of Food Basket
Declines: But Will
Livelihoods Improve?

Jan-99

Sep-99Dec-99

Jan-00239840257480263370Lower Food Prices But Not
Higher Food Consumption

Analysis of the Cost of
Food Basket in 1999

Fluctuations in prices correspond to changes in cost of seasonal goods such as mealie meal
/ The lowest cost of food for the year was recorded in September / Mealie meal is high due
to low stocks / Meat is high because of holiday demand / Increases in soap possibly due todepreciation of the Kwacha / Transportation has increased due to fuel hikes / There has notbeen any increase in incomes over same period / wages less in real terms

The Social Dimension of
The Food Basket(Muweme Muweme)

Aug-00 272305

JCTR Says High Cost of
Living Manifests
Worsening Social Crisisand Challenges of CG
MeetingWidening Gap Between
Food Basket and Salaries:
What Do Political Party
Manifestoes Have toOffer?

Sep-00278375

Comesa's Free Trade Area
and Its Social Implications

290310Food Basket Cost Shoots
UP: JCTR Calls upon
Parliament to Seriously
Look at the Rising Cost of
LivingOct-00277870

Summary
Increase of Basket by 22.4% since 98 / Wages have remained stagnant / JCTR endorses
call of CCJDP to set the base rate for PAYE at K200,000
We agree with President's statement that wages below K200,00 are scandalous / Base Ratefor pay at least K250,000 / IMF & WB must understand that pay increases are needed torestore dignity to the worker
Price decline of K7500 / This does not mean notable improvement in lives of Lusaka
residents / Civil Service wages only K100,000 to K150,000 / Medium density housing is
between K130,000 and K180,000 for 2 rooms / ZESCO is between K70,000 and K100,000/ Water is approximately K25,000 / Removal of street vendors from Lusaka will also
decrease family wages / The overall socio-economic picture is grim, heightened byconcern over the sale of mines / Prospect of debt cancellation gives some hope of moreresources becoming available
Three month decline in prices / Decrease due to higher maize supply, strengthening ofKwacha, decrease in official inflation rate from 31% to 27% / Also, demand has decreased
as people cannot afford commodities / UNICEF report says per capita consumption ofmaize decreased from 153.2 kg in 90/91 to 123.3 kg in 96/97

Minimum Wage Should Be
Mar-00 272810 Much More than K200,000

Jun-00

Summary

Release of 2000 Budget has stirred debate / rising cost of living mandates a commitment topoverty reduction / In December 99, JCTR undertook study to compare prices amidst low,
medium, high density areas / Price varied depending on distance from city centre anddemand / mealie meal actually cheaper in low-density areas due to lower demand / Yet,purchasing power also affects price: meat higher in low density areas / PAGE 2 LOST
Chiluba's recent demand for K200,000 min wage not enough / Government unable to raisesalary due to IMF / Sharp increases in fuel last week will shoot prices higher / poverty
level stands at 73% according to LCMS / It's a matter of political will
The current Social Crisis must be addressed by government in the upcoming Consultative
Group (CG) meetings / Crisis apparent in inability of majority of Zambians to accesshealth, education, clean water, shelter, balanced diets / Price increase related todepreciation of Kwacha from K2900/$ to K3110/$ / Maize is the exception due to highsupply at this time of year / salaries well below basket / Poverty Reduction must be #1
JCTR shares view with FFTU that manifestoes must be made available / the # 1 issue thatshould be addressed is living conditions in relation to gap between food basket andincomes / Having food is one of the cardinal issues in people's lives and citizens should
critically assess political parties on this basis
JCTR concerned about the social implications of the Free Trade Area to take affect at endof month / Reduced revenue from duty collected and reduced funding of social sectors? /Or a raise in taxes? / This is risky in light of widening gap between basket and income /Don't leave this to chance!
Parliament to re-convene for final time this year / need immediate and intermediate
measures to mitigate suffering of people caused by rising cost of living / increase due torise in fuel, depreciation of Kwacha, increase in inflation / though causes may be external,
there is need to look at domestic interventions / minimise taxes on fuel? / make newbudget pro-poor / Specifically, abolish school fees, improve agricultural policy, directmoney to health sectorDec-00

Jan-01312695

Year 2000 Winds up Witha Very High Increase in
Cost of Food Basket
Observes JCTR

319870

Kwacha Appreciates But
Prices Remain High,
Observes JCTR

328080JCTR Calls For Sharper
Focus On Development
IssuesMar-01 335300

Price Stability , Decrease
and Increase characterise
Food Basket

Feb-01

Apr-01340720

May-01 329400

Jun-01JCTR Urges Government
to Go Beyond Meeting
Projected Economic
Targets

Cost of JCTR Food Basket
Records Slight Increase
JCTR Food Basket
Records Huge Increase:
Proportion of Household
Expenditure on Mealie
Aug-01 348500
Meal Rises
Jul-01

Attaining development goals needs constant monitoring and focus of priorities / Focus
must be on integral development / cost of living is increasing while HDI are all stagnate or
decreasing / Formulating PRSP is important to determining blueprint for national
development within the free market economy / Calling on national leaders and politicians
to focus pragmatically on issues that are pertinent to suffering of the people
Varied trend in food prices as we move into 2nd quarter / meat and wash soap up while
mealie meal, cooking oil, eggs, salt down / charcoal has recorded high increase due torains / even with electricity, women still dependent upon charcoal for beans, kapenta, etc. /strengthened kwacha has not had much impact on food costs

No Statement

Food Basket Cost Slightly
Decreases; JCTR Calls forSincere Negotiations in
Current Situation

328570Large jump in cost due to rapid depreciation of Kwacha in November by 16% / large
increases in price over the year due to depreciation of Kwacha and fuel hikes / smaller
affect on price due to supply of maize / average inflation for 2000 was approximately 30%
compared to the 19% predicted in 2000 budget / three policy recommendations:
1)government should attempt to mitigate spikes in cost of living 2) need for pro-poor
budget 3) agricultural sector must be improved to curve increases in food costs
Since GRZ took measures to address depreciation, Kwacha has returned to K3500/$ from
K4500/$ / JCTR commends government / Yet, prices of food did not move / targeting the
Kwacha alone is insufficient / 2001 National Budget has theme "Empowering People for
Prosperity" / people must be key players in economy / economic empowerment

332520Lack of Political
Sensitivity to Cost of
Living Worries JCTR

Sep-01357300

Oct-01

Appropriate and Prompt
Policy Responses inAgriculture Vital, Observes
358400JCTR

Slightly lower prices in mealie meal and charcoal / CSO reports in Living Conditions
Preliminary Report of 1998 that only 42% of household income comes directly from
regular salaries / wages have not increased proportionally to rising cost of living /sensitivity to wages founded in CST: human dignity, workers not "commodities" / The
basis of a well-ordered society is the family / wages central in household well-being / since1891 church has supported trade unions and strikes / JCTR hopes for desirable resolutionof current strikes
MoFNP mid-year review: Predicted inflation at 17.5% & actual inflation at 22.2% /Predicted growth rate at 5% and actual is lower / meeting these targets is important, butequally important is relationship to cost of living / Food basket dependent on inflation andKwacha valuation / Taking into non-food considerations, basket would be MUCHHIGHER / Discouragement that though we are moving towards curbing inflation topredicted level, there seems to be no impact on rate of increasing cost of living
Total increase of basket linked to rises in mealie meal / unlikely that recent wage increases
account for increases in cost of living / wages must be continually reviewed / wages
should be paid on time / money allocated to payment of council person’s arrears must not
be diverted / household security very dependent upon wages
Price jump linked to mealie meal / recently negotiated salary increments are alreadybecoming outdated / proportion of household expenditure on food items must now
increase at expense of expenditure on health, education / 1998 Living Conditions
Preliminary Report found that average 59% expenditure on food items
High cost of living increasingly difficult to cope with / Through the increase is small, it issignificant on strained households / no political sensitivity / why no maize stocks toprevent current rise in mealie meal / no-one is talking about addressing cost of living /following September 11, the global economy will slow down , with increasing cost of fueland decreasing cost of copper / Need for proper forecasting of economic and social
problems / Establish measures to mitigate impact ahead of time
Calling for adequate preparation for agriculture season through provision of inputs /Zambia should not need to input maize unless of droughts / poor agricultural performanceincreases cost of living / look at maize stocks and realise poor policy response ofgovernment / Double drought: policy drought where little response to meeting farmers
needs and actual rainfall drought / Not addressing 1st drought exacerbates the 2nd

Nov-01 377300

High Cost of Living
Should be an Essential
Focus For Political
Campaigns, Says JCTR

Dec-01379390Reflections on the Year
2001: JCTR Food Basket
and Needs of the Zambian
PeopleJan-02

From Food Basket to Basic
Needs Basket: JCTR Effort
for More Accurate andAdequate Cost of Living
829250Estimates

Feb-02823510

Basic Needs Basket
Challenges the 2002
National Budget

Mar-02 824600

Clarify Position on School
Fees, JCTR Urges
Government

Apr-02JCTR Says High Cost of
Living Enhancing
Reproduction of Poverty

825500JCTR Encouraged byGovernment Declaration of
a National Disaster But
Calls for Looking Beyond
Current Situation
May-02 814350

Jun-02

Jul-02827950Consultative Group
Meeting Challenged by
JCTR to Look at Cost of
Basic Needs

831350JCTR Says Finding
Current and Future
Sustainable Solutions toFood Crises Imperative

Zambians facing additional hardships due to high cost of living as political campaigns
intensify / Mealie meal has led to the current increase in food basket / 25 kg for 29,100
with rumours of k 50,000 mealie meal in other parts of the country / Two important issues
for politicians to address: 1) agriculture and industry 2) employment creation withadequate wages / candidates must address these issues!
Two issues prominent at end of 2001: tripartite elections and deterioration in living
conditions...the first has passed while the second is still with us / the current rise in living
cost cannot be attributed to anything but poor planning on agricultural side / mealie mealhas sky-rocketed / food basket increased 19% over one year while the inflation rate was
17% / Tackling inflation only half the picture: employment, agriculture on other side /rural communities depending upon mealie meal from the cities / next year looks just as bad/ hopefully new administration will provide rational planning
Major changes in 6-year history of the basket / Changes in response to recommendations
received from many users of the basket including trade unions, women’s groups,
academics, nutritionists, the CSO and the media / cost of living has continued to affecthousehold consumption in terms of quantity and nutrition / JCTR has found it imperative
to make BNB nutritionally based / BNB seems astronomically high but also realistic /Additional sampling areas also included / Comparability of old and new data is lost
Budget has been applauded as one of the best Zambia has ever had, but JCTR recognizes
the challenge of achieving intended goals / Meeting the basic needs of the people is theone true measure of a good budget / slight decline due to reduction in charcoal cost as
rainfall has decreased / JCTR observes that the proposed K150,000 tax exemption markfall far below basic needs / the tax-base must be broadened instead of strangling the
average Zambian / JCTR applauds attention in budget to agriculture sector / need for close
budget tracking
Government must immediately clarify position on school fees / Though MoE has
abolished school fees, MoFNP has pronounced that fees must be paid until budgetaryconcerns are worked out / "Will the Poor Go To School" has shown that cost sharing has
negative consequences / households are spending on primary education twice what
government is allocating / what about school fees at secondary level?
High cost of living is reproducing poverty in such as way that many Zambians will not beable to come out of it / coping strategies mentioned by CSO (1998) are not sustainable:
reduction in number of daily meals, borrowing, non-conventional meals, etc. / Cost of foodalone remains out of reach of average family at K300,000 / mealie meal remains highsince 2001 / as Labour Day is celebrated, must look at conditions of labourers in Zambia /People are not only the means but the purpose of development: must be sure economic
system enhances human dignity / Human dignity should be consideration of current
negotiations of Anglo-American on KCM
Disaster called in light of looming hunger situation / reports are being made that maize
will run out in some parts of the country by June / the current drought is the culprit inaddition to past food shortages / winter maize project may help, but wider alternatives
must be considered / Must also look at the insecurity of rural families who are forced tohunger by one bad crop / wider issues include unemployment and low wages / JCTR
hopeful the declaration of government will allow households to access foodUpcoming meeting between Zambia and Donors / Current context of meeting includes
challenges across all sectors of society and the economy / One of greatest challenges thathas large repercussion on these sectors is the high cost of living / With the high standing
cost of food alone, other needs are not being met / Average teacher salary is between
K280,000 and K309,000 / There are rumours that mealie meal has reached K37,000 in
Copperbelt province which is affected by high unemployment / JCTR hopeful about PRSP
Food crises is marked by discussions of GMOs, hunger, winter irrigation, etc. / Sincehouseholds spend most of money on food, the crises is very big / still there is under
nourishment as wages remain below cost of basic needs / though BNB monitors life in
Lusaka, the rural areas are the hardest hit / winter efforts to grow maize are theoreticallypromising / these measure for winter irrigation may not benefit the poor! / poor rural
household must also have opportunities for winter maize production / households must be
enabled through higher incomesAug-02 821800

The Why, What and How
Questions about the JCTR
Basic Needs Basket

Sep-02825100Food Costing K326,500:
JCTR Says Current
Political Debates Should
Also Address SocioEconomic Realities

836550JCTR Basic Needs Basket
Report Reveals an AllTime High Cost of Living
in LusakaNov-02 863400

More Efforts Needed at
Addressing Zambia's
Imminent Deeper Social
Crises, Says JCTR

Dec-02

Year 2002 Characterised
by Disturbing Social
Challenges, Observes
JCTR

Oct-02887550People's Hardships
Heightened: Basic Needs
Jan-03 1029150 Cost a Million, Says JCTR

Government Must Resolve
Threats of Current Work
Stoppages Justly, Says
Feb-03 1035300
JCTR

The BNB provides a clear picture of the suffering of the poor in light of hunger situation /The average cost of food is 324,500, whereas the average take home pay of a civil servant
is k270,000 to K370,000 / Purpose of BNB is to promote economic and social justicethrough advocating for change in policies that inhibit attainment of sustainable andequitable livelihoods for the majority of poor Zambian households / BNB shows barest
minimum requirements for survival / income deprivation has wide implications by limiting
people's choices / BNB highlights nutritional balance / What are the cost implications of areasonable or decent living, if BNB only highlights bare minimum / important aspect ofdevelopment is enhancement of a quality life
Political debates have distracted the critical question of looking at people's needs /sustainable development hindered by inflation, hunger, unemployment, poor socioeconomic situation / these issues should be central to public debates / the same intensity ofcurrent political debates should be carried over to socio-economic debates / access to foodis both a means and an end of development / JCTR in conjunction with KATC is looking
at hunger and GMO debate and advocating for sustainable food security of the people
through good agriculture
Cost of living may be higher in other parts of the country, especially those with serious
food deficits such as the south / cost of living is a reflection of current problems ofinflation, exchange rate, scarcity of food, depreciation of Kwacha as the BoZ notes / thepoor are bearing the harshest consequences of these GRZ problems / poor must be uplifted
through government policies to address these problems
Zambia has vast potential and should not be facing the current socio-economic situation /difficulties reflect bad prioritisation, inadequacies in policy design, failure in programme
implementation / Need to address situation in more pragmatic and holistic manner /recently announced fuel increases will further increase all costs / increase due to mealie
meal, meat and charcoal / mealie meal even higher in other parts of the country /December and January will be difficult months for many due to the drought / JCTR
expresses strong compassion and solidarity with the people / priority number one ofeveryone must be coping with the crises
Past 12 months have seen serious deterioration of social conditions of most Zambian
people / this is result of long-standing problems and setbacks such as drought and pull outof Anglo-American / the problems re-enforce themselves in ways that make solutionsdifficult / most of the country's economic reform programmes (imposed by IMF and WB)
have failed / Kwacha has been on a downward spiral (K3500 to K5000 in the year) due tonon-productivity of the economy (mining and manufacturing especially) / most increases
in cost of food due to increase in mealie meal / Zambia has failed to meet macro-economic
targets (13% inflation and 4.3% growth) / country also faces political uncertainty withpending presidential and parliamentary election petitions / it is disturbing that prices at theend of the year set the tone of what is to come / Upcoming war in Middle East will surely
increase petrol prices / A people-centred economy will be moving towards goals in sectorsof Millenium Development Goals
Cost of living shows a sharp increase beyond reach of most households / all foodcommodities have increased since December / many increases due to difficulty growing
vegetables in the rains / majority of increase due to sharp increase in rentals over the pastfew months / The K160,000 Pay tax exemption seems very inadequate / Government ismaking attempts to broaden tax base, but the PAYE threshold is inadequate / The VAT
ensures that the more people have, the more they will pay on taxes due to purchases
Work stoppages must be resolved in ways that address needs of both the employees andthe employers / this two-way relationship has often not been beneficial to employees / thehigh levels of unemployment provide a fertile ground for exploitative tendencies on part of
employers / it must be re-iterated that the BNB does not paint the full picture of humanwage, including cost of health, personal care, transport and education / The current teacher
demand of K 1.5 Million seems high, but the take-home pay would still be less than the
BNB / Deterioration of living conditions due to prolonged economic policy failure
attributed to internal and external factors / ability to meet basic needs is a human right tobe addressed in upcoming constitutional review

Mar-03 1033750

JCTR Links Cost of Living
Issues with War in Iraq

Holistic and Decentralised
Approaches Critical to
Efficiency and Equity in
Health Services, Says
Apr-03 1030850
JCTR

JCTR Urges for "Food on
the Table" Discussions tobe as Key as Political
May-03 1028650
Discussions

Jun-03 1012100

Government Must Put
Human Interest at theCentre of the Current
Problem of Budget
Overrun, Says the JCTR

JCTR Basic Needs Basket
Records Low Mealie Meal
Price, Other Food Items
Jul-03 1005400
Remain HighJCTR Basic Needs Basket
Costing K1,014,500 in the
Aug-03 1014500
Month of August

Sep-03 1027450

Politics of Improving the
Economy Key to Finding
Solutions to Zambia's
Problems, Says the JCTR

BNB continues to show that high demands are being placed on families to meet dailyneeds / Teachers demands for K1.5 million are well-justified / Civil Servants demands are
justified because they are based of cost of living and quality of life indicators / Frankly
speaking, the issue is not resources but priorities / mis-expenditure includes expensive
travel, benefits for government officials, funding of political parties, large motorcades,
high defence spending / the effect of the Iraq war will be felt strongly in Zambia due toincrease in oil prices, diverted aid resources, delays in debt relief and political instability /The JCTR joins the cry that the war is immoral and unjust, especially as it jeopardizes
international peace and UN credibility
Holistic and decentralised rather than sectoral and centralised approaches key to effective
and equitable delivery of health services / Launch of "Health Status and Health Equity" /For example, Chongwe district, despite being in the overall healthiest province of Lusaka
has higher incidence of mortality and illness compared to Mongu, the capital of the mostdeprived province / Need better supplied health facilities / expenditure on healthcare often
at trade-off with expenditure on education and food / Worst affected households are thoseheaded by females / Gender inequity and HIV/AIDS seriously hinder development / No
country develops without a healthy and well-educated population / Recommendations ofstudy: Development programmes cannot be centralised, addressing health needs holistic
approach realising link of health with nutrition, food, education, etc., development should
implement "Poverty + Health (HIV/AIDS)" programmes, cost-sharing exemptions cannot
be based solely on monetary aspects of family, healthcare and poverty reduction musttarget female-headed households
JCTR urges for equal talk from government on politics and food / providing three meals a
day remains the hardest thing for most households / mealie meal has decreased slightly,
yet vegetables have failed to decrease / one marketeer commented that vegetables havefailed to decrease in price as they often do during May / take-home pay of nurses andteachers far below the cost of living / JCTR urges for "politics of poverty" rather than a"poverty of politics" / we need leaders who look at survival of the people and not survivalof politicians
In light of anticipated budget overrun, government must decide whether to honour
payments to government employees or deny them in hopes of future economic prosperityin the country / the conditions of employees, as the means and end of development, must
be taken into consideration and wages paid / prescribed economic solutions have notbrought substantial curative action / JCTR calls for human considerations when dealing
with the overrun / looking at government expenditure patterns, higher wages could be paid
workers and the government could still avoid an overrun with better management
One of the key benefits of focusing on agriculture (especially sustainable maize
production) is the positive impact on cost of living / there must be a good balance between
paying the producers of maize justly and keeping costs low / the price decrease could be
due to small-scale farmers selling off maize at a low price because of no options forstorage / some may even sell at price lower than recommended "floor price" of K30,000
due to pressing household needs / very slight overall decrease in price / BNB highlights
daily challenge of households to meet sustainable livelihoods / current civil servant
negotiations must take the BNB into account
BNB shows relationship between household income and requirements for basic humansurvival / mealie meal is slightly up / charcoal is slightly down / JCTR hopes decreases incost of fuel will have positive impact on cost of living over the next few weeks
Zambia needs a strategic focus on the economy that will translate into improved living
conditions including access to employment, a nutritious diet, quality education and healthcare / Addressing the national economy should be seen as a political issue / the Zambian
people continue to face the problem of high cost of living / there is a shortage in supply of
cattle because many households have already sold cattle due to poor agricultural
performance, thus the price of meat has increased / Zambia lacks enabling conditions fordevelopment and a culture of creativity and initiative / People must be relieved from thedaily struggle to meet basic needs in order to develop / JCTR is hopeful that focus will
move to socio-economic issues as promised by Mwanawasa

Oct-03 1031700

The JCTR Observes that
Realistic Economic
Projections Vital to
Effective National
Planning

Debate on the Mode of
Adopting the Constitution
Should Not be Subjected to
Nov-03 1032800 a Trade-off, Says JCTR

A Mix of A Ray of Hopeand Some Setbacks: The
Zambian People's
Dec-03 1050400 Experiences in 2003

JCTR Says 2004 Budget
Premised on HIPC and
May Permanently
Jan-04 1065900 Disadvantage Some People

Feb-04 1078750

A Value and Ethical
Framework Critical to
Designing Development
Policies, Says the JCTR

A consultative budget process is critical to national development / as the nation proceeds
under the MTEF, the budget must reflect sound projections for the working of theeconomy / the MTEF is based on prediction that inflation will decrease to 6% in 2006, thatgrowth will be 4.5% in 2004 and 5% in 2005 / favourable copper prices should contributeto growth / realising that plunge in copper prices contributed to the debt rises, it is hopefulthat the government will not fail to diversify the economy / continuous rises in food prices
is the most negative aspect of inflation / prices tend to rise at the end of the year / The
MTEF is long overdue, but hopefully its economic projections are feasible
There should not be a trade-off between meeting people's needs such as health andeducation and the holding of a Constituent Assembly / subjecting such a debate totradeoffs fails to link the need for a good constitution with ability of people to meet theirneeds / mealie meal has contributed to price decrease / charcoal has risen in cost becauseof rains / there is a difficult question of addressing current poverty and the need for aconstituent assembly that can lead to future economic freedom / there is need for apeople's constitution / if trade-off is necessary, social services should not be cut, but
expenditure on vehicles, travels, etc.
There was some improvement in the agriculture sector which resulted in adequate foodproduction for Zambian people / other sectors experienced problems, especiallyeducation / other positives include lower inflation levels, stability in price of mealie
meal, less devaluation of the Kwacha / yet, good food production and access to foodare two different things / BNB highlights difficulty average person has in meeting
minimum standard of living / this year it was increases in meat and fish along withgreen vegetables that increased prices during second half of the year / there wereremarkable decreases in the cost of food during June and July / the teacher strike overwages has had a negative impact on prospects of development / the teachers had goodintentions for strikes / Following points are important to note in regard to call for"sacrifice:" successes in agriculture are due to provision of inputs counter to the adviceof IMF and WB, there must be beneficial outcomes to the poor due to national"sacrifice" and not a decrease in funding to social services, Zambia should strive tobuild a society where people can meet needs and make savings for harder times, there
should be more talk about employment creation than increasing taxes, there is need for
an industrial strategy to benefit through trade, and the international committee must
exercise greater flexibility with conditionalities such as the ones associated with the
HIPC completion point. / "Sacrifice" should not cause disproportionate suffering to thealready vulnerable society
Budget premised on meeting HIPC completion point / budget is narrow in responding toother areas such as employment creation, funding to health and education, poverty
reduction, etc. / the process of instituting austerity measures to achieve the completion
point must not negatively impact some to the extent that they cannot recover / thedevelopment strategy must be broad and inclusive, especially including the poor / Tax
threshold has been shifted to K260,000, whereas the cost of food alone is now 409,000 /also AIDS orphans have increased the burden on families / government should have paid
more attention to the education sector by ensuing all trained teachers were given jobs inschools understaffed / government should address its top-heavy structure that includes anoversized cabinet and the costly office of the District Commissioner
Humanity is an ends and a means to development / policy formulation and evaluation
should be grounded in a value framework / Decent standard living beyond mosthouseholds / Situation might be better if government had a sound value framework / thesevalues would not allow the government to accept the status quo with the majority ofZambians unable to have a decent standard of living / The international and national
community has continually set targets for uplifting the welfare of the people, but thesehave not been met / Development is move from less to more human conditions / Delay indevelopment means increases in HIV/AIDS, lack of access to health and education, lack offood and suffering / these conditions threaten the peace of the country / Can we evaluate
the past few years of development failures on the basis of human considerations?

JCTR Basket Coverage
Expanded to Include
Livingstone, Kabwe,
Ndola, Luanshya andMar-04 1094100 Kitwe

Nutrition Should beCentral to AIDS Treatment
Apr-04 1110150 Discussions, Says JCTR

JCTR Says Commitment isCentral to Uplifting
People's Lives
May-04 1113900

Basic Needs Basket
Reveals that Luanshya is
Jun-04 1118700 High Cost of Living Area

Situation of Pensioners,
Fuel Prices Increase Worry
Jul-04 1105100
of JCTR

Expansion of coverage area in order to be more representative of national urban situationof cost of living and more authoritative in discussions regarding cost of living / thesetowns have similar characteristics as Lusaka and the basket will maintain the same
composition / cost of food highest in Luanshya at K447,100 compared to K418,550 in
Lusaka / this is serious realising the poor economy of Luanshya, with high cost of foodhaving health and education implications due to poor nutrition and poor ability to excel inschool / Basket not merely a statistical exercise but basis for responding to improve livesof Zambians / the basket an entry point for exploring socio-economic policies that will
benefit the people / the government and IMF should asses Zambia's qualification for the
PRGF in light of the context of the needs of the people
A holistic approach to health delivery is essential in light of current HIV/AIDS crises /Good nutrition at household level important to prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS /Health does not only include treatment of illness but the whole array of living conditionsof a person / The majority of households spend a huge percentage of income on food, yet
this does not imply good nutrition but merely that families are struggling to survive /Inadequate incomes have disproportionately strained women as the household managers
and primary caregivers in the home-based care system / Lack of income is the denial of agood psychological environment at home to support AIDS patients / government needs aholistic approach ensuring access to education, nutrition, shelter in order to tackle AIDS /Those to receive ARVs must also receive good nutrition
Overcoming the socio-economic challenges that include malnutrition at household level
especially in children, HIV/AIDS, inadequate health care and education, unemployment,
insufficient household income, require more than lip service / resource prioritisation is key/ failure to meet development goals can be attributed to lack of strong commitment totranslate plans into real action / meetings at national and international level on poverty
have failed the people / slight reduction in price of mealie meal / The PRSP and theMillenium Development Goals should be viewed as critical challenges from a moral,
economic, social and political viewpoint / sacrifices should be made / strong commitment
realising the dignity of the human person necessary to uplift the poor, especially women /we need a value foundation for development
Luanshya an urban area with one of the highest costs of living in Zambia, based on threemonths of data / households in Luanshya are experiencing the most difficulty in meeting
their basic requirements / yet all urban areas have high costs of living / unless there arefundamental changes in the structuring of the social, political and economic affairs, people
will never be able to meet basic human requirements / in face of inadequate resources,
there is poor prioritisation of expenditure / governance system has failed to catalyse
patriotism towards a good work ethic / this is why there is little success calling for debt
cancellation / PRSP and past plans not effectively implemented / there must be investment
in people / citizens should give input towards the 2005 budget and push politicians to pay
attention to the serious socio-economic issues affecting the livelihoods of all
Reports that 90,000 pensioners will lose what they deserve is highly objectionable, for it
epitomizes a violation of human rights by denying the security of the elderly / pensioners
continually face hard times during bureaucratic delays in receiving pensions / this injusticeis taking place in the context of high cost of living and high gratuities paid to MPs /pensioners wait long periods of time while inflation erodes the value of the money / highunemployment levels are forcing workers to accept exploitative working conditions /failure to pay these workers is unacceptable / we need to care about each other / the current
situation is reminiscent of the days of colonialism when there was no social conscience /Zambia should strive for a political, social and economic order that places the well beingof humans above all else / there are more street kids than just AIDS orphansCost of Basic Needs Showa Mixed Picture in the Faceof "External Shocks," Says
Aug-04 1100200
JCTR
Sep-04 1097100

No Statement

Yes, Cost of Living Major
Problem Among
Households and Needs
Very Serious Attention,"
Says JCTR
Oct-04 1127500

Nov-04 1114800

Good agricultural production has mitigated effects of increased global price of oil / meathas slightly increased in cost while mealie meal, vegetables, kapenta have declined / good
agricultural performance means many things including affordability of food, nondependence on outside countries and ability to export food to recover some balance inforeign exchange / Food production does not allow some to access food, especially thosethat are unemployed or caring for someone with HIV/AIDS / Zambia's focus in addition to
debt cancellation should be concentration on sectors that form the bedrock of humanwelfare: agriculture, health, education and employment / government has intervened
appropriately by providing inputs

JCTR Asks: Why Don't
Politicians Speak About
What is Important inPeople's Lives

Year 2004 Ends With Food
Alone Costing K481,540:
Need of People Should be
Key in Policy Debates in
Dec-04 1147840
2005, Says JCTRHigh cost of living continues to be a major problem faced by households and should becentral to policy discussion / the BNB highlights the struggle to meet daily needs / meathas increased significantly due to Foot and Mouth Disease / beans, dry fish and cooking
oil also increased likely due to increase in fuel prices the past month / people during therecent National Governance Baseline Survey indicated high cost of living as a serious
problem / the serious off-shoots of high cost of living include malnutrition and stunted
growth in children, difficulties in accessing health and education and absence of otherareas of well-being / There must be continued holistic efforts to address the problem byinvesting in people through health, education and job creation
Leading politicians disappoint us by not talking about the everyday problems that impact
the livelihoods of the people / current political debates out of touch / political focus should
be on policies and not personalities / there is a gap between what families ought to be
spending and what they can afford to spend / this should be the number one political issue/ instead of talking about cost of living, which determines a family's access to health,education, food, shelter, agricultural production, there is more talk about reaching the
doubtful and ever floating HIPC completion point as if it would guarantee improvement inpeople's lives / the constitutional debate has also pulled attention away from quality of life,
though it is important in the long run / it is encouraging that the MoE will employ 1000
teachers, but what about the majority of Zambians that will remain unemployed / also,
subsidised inputs have benefited some farmers but much more can be done to deliver
prompter and wider supply of inputs / JCTR is hopeful that people will vote taking into
consideration issues affecting their welfare
Zambia's longstanding problem of high cost of living should top the policy debates for
2005, since it determines general welfare by indicating how households relate toeducation, health, food, shelter, etc. / cost of living is a broad quality of life indicator /claims of improvement in the economy should only be measured by looking at access tohealth, education, food, decline in street kids instead of in GDP growth / agricultural
output in 2003 and 2004 has helped curve inflation which hurts the poor the most in
addition to enhancing rural income and assuring national food security / there was only ashort period of price decline followed by typical end of year increase / 2004 average costof food alone was K447,153, cost of non-food items was K659,016 and cost of BNB was
1,106,170 per month / comparison of cost to average incomes shows how families struggle
to meet essential needs / think of the civil servants with frozen wages due to HIPC, those
women crushing stones, those looking after orphans due to HIV/AIDS deaths, those
providing ARVs, those households with no formal employment / A widow in Lusaka says
"I have 10 children, five my own and five orphans. My salary is below K200,000 and I
have to pay rent, take children to school, buy food and do everything out of this little
money. I am really suffering" / To move people from less to more human conditions, thefollowing recommendations are being made: there must be responsible and responsive
leadership at all levels, the ESC rights must be enshrined within the Bill of Rights to allow
Zambians to claim their inherent rights, education must be improved by addressing examleakages, lack of schools in rural areas, poor teacher morale, the health problem must takea holistic approach that takes into account poverty and nutrition, Zambia must strive fortotal debt cancellation, sustainable and diversified agriculture must be encouraged, heavy
dependence on chemical fertilisers should be discouraged and market access should be
improved, Zambia needs a strategy for employment creation whether or not it pleases the
IMF and WB / The time is now for governments to take advantage of global attention topoverty in 2005 / hopefully the 2005 budget will give primacy to human considerations

The 2005 National Budget:
Continuing with the Status
Jan-05 1340840
Quo?

To what extent will 2005 budget uplift lives of average Zambian families? / budget lacks
boldness and holistic vision to make tangible impact / same as past failed budgets / BNB
as testament to struggle of people is good entry point to critique budget / supports the
CCJDP call for upward adjustment to PAYE tax exemption threshold to at least K600,000,
if not K900,000 / “By setting the PAYE exemption threshold at K280,000 per month, thegovernment is admittedly taxing Zambian people who cannot afford to put food on thetable for their families, the same group it classifies as ‘extremely poor’” / K20,000
increase fails to maintain status quo in real terms / need for creative broadening of tax base/ need for a robust strategy for employment creation / internal debt which stands over US$
1 Billion and grew by 6% in 2004 is a huge challenge to employment creation / need for a
strategy to create affordable housing within urban areas / salary increases to teachers
correct a backlog of problems from the past, only to maintain the status quo / according to
1998 African Development Report “Once a generation of children is exposed to life
without adequate health and nutrition or school, there is little that can be done during the
lifetime to reverse the damage” / the damage is being done

PRESS RELEASE - SEPTEMBER 1999
LOWER FOOD PRICES BUT NOT HIGHER FOOD CONSUMPTIONIs the decline in the cost of the monthly food basket for a family of six means an increase in the well being ofmost Zambians? This question is raised by the minimal fall for three months of the cost of the food basket. The
latest findings of the survey conducted by the Economic and Social Development Project of the Jesuit Centre for
Theological Reflection pegs the cost of the food basket for the month of September at K239, 840. Down from
K250, 660 in July and from K243, 100 in August, the survey reflects slightly lower prices in items such as
mealie meal, vegetables, cooking oil and eggs.
According to the Director of the Economic and Social Development Project, Mr. Alex Muyebe, there are anumber of economic factors that account for the continued decline in the cost of the food basket the past few
months. Mr. Muyebe observes that one of the cardinal factors is the developments in the food supply situation,
particularly the maize supply around this time as farmers manage to get their produce on the market, thereby
resulting in a downward effect on prices of mealie meal.
Prices of other food commodities have also
experienced insignificant decline due to the slight strengthening of Kwacha on the foreign exchange markets lastmonth as a result of the increase in the non-traditional exports, i.e., tobacco and the increase in inflows owing to
disbursements by bilateral donors. The report by the Bank of Zambia on the percentage changes in the consumer
price indices indicates that the inflation rate continues to register minimal decline from about 31 per cent at the
beginning of January 1999 to about 27 per cent at the beginning of September 1999. Therefore, the inflation rate
might also be taken into consideration as one of the factors for the decline in the cost of the food basket.
Mr. Muyebe notes that there is yet another important social factor for the decline in the cost of the food basket.
It is the fact that there is a decline in the number of people having sufficient income to meet their needs. Many
people have had to adjust their food budgets because they simply do not have money. The levels of income of
the majority of Zambians are not commensurate with what they are required to pay for the basic necessities, suchas food, housing, clothing, education, health, etc. A good number of families are being forced to go withoutcertain food items or to consume less of the habitual food items. This has resulted in decline in the demand.
Traders have had to adjust accordingly by reducing prices of the affected commodities. This means that the
decline in the cost of the food basket does not mean improvement in the livelihood of most Lusaka residents.
The marginal decline in the cost of the food basket is unlikely to lighten the burden of survival for ordinary
families in Lusaka. The high cost of living in comparison to low salaries continues to bring great hardships.
Mr. Muyebe observes that food is the major indicator for measuring the cost of living mainly because food doestake up by far the largest portion of monthly income. Food is one of the primary necessities of life and its
accessibility is a good indicator of the levels of poverty. The recently launched mid-term review report by
GRZ/UNICEF, entitled, "Overcoming Barriers to Zambia's Development: Dismantling the Tripod of
Deprivation, Debt and Disease", indicates the rise in the overall economic and social hardships. For instance, thereport notes that the per capita consumption of maize, the single most significant component in a Zambian mealhas declined drastically from 153.2 kg in 1990/91 to 123.3 kg in 1996/97. The per capita consumption ofpractically all other food products (cereal, vegetable, dairy and meat products) either remained constant, declined
or increased only marginally during this period, which must imply a reduction in calorie intake and hence a
decline in nutritional status. It is for this reason that the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection continues toadvocate for a strong political commitment for policies to improve the living conditions and eradicate poverty.
Key to these policies, Muyebe suggests, is the establishment of a recognised 'poverty datum line' against which
all salaries can be measured.
Attached: Food Basket Estimates for September 1999
[For additional information, contact Alex Muyebe, Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection, P.O. BOX 37774,
10101 Lusaka, Zambia; tel: 260-1-290410; fax: 260-1-290759; e-mail: muyebe@zamnet.zm]

PRESS RELEASE - 06 JANUARY 2000
ANALYSIS OF THE COST OF FOOD BASKET IN 1999
What has been the pattern of the cost of the monthly food basket for a family of six in Lusaka in the past
year? How has this pattern affected the well being and livelihood of most of Lusaka residents? Below is thefirst half of the two-part analysis report on the cost of living as reflected in our survey on the food basket in
1999. This first half focuses more on some technical dimension whereas the second part coming up next
week will focus more on the social dimension.
Using the December 1998 total of the cost of the food basket as a base value, a comparison of changes inprice over the past twelve months has been greatly affected by seasonal fluctuations. The first seasonal
fluctuation was between December 1998 and March 1999 yielding a price index of 9.19 percent. Thismeans that in March 1999, prices were 9.19 percent higher than in December 1998. The second seasonal
fluctuation was between March 1999 and July 1999 yielding a price index of 8.5 percent. The third seasonal
fluctuation was between July 1999 and September 1999 yielding a price index of 3.86 percent. The fourth
seasonal fluctuation was between September 1999 and December 1999 with a price index of 11.5 percent.
What accounts for seasonal fluctuations are prices of some seasonal goods, mainly mealie-meal. The priceof mealie-meal has moved up and down over the past twelve months. For instance, the average price of
mealie-meal (25 kg bag) in Lusaka was K18,800 in December 1998, K19,790 in March 1999, K17,570 inJuly 1999, K15,340 in September 1999, and K17,300 in December 1999. The fluctuations in the total costof the food basket over the past twelve months indicate the total cost of the food basket in September 1999
as the lowest amounting to K239,840, and the total cost of the food basket in December 1999 as the highest
amounting to K257,480. One of the factors accounting for the lowest total cost of the food basket in
September 1999 was the increase in the maize supply between July and November, thereby resulting in a
downward effect on prices of mealie-meal. Other factors around that time included the slight appreciationof the Kwacha on the foreign exchange markets in August as a result of the increase in the non-traditional
exports, and the increase in inflows owing to disbursements by bilateral donors. The inflation rate also
registered minimal decline around the same period.
There are a number of factors accounting for the highest total cost of the food basket in December 1999.
The average price of mealie-meal (25 kg bag) increased by K1,400 from November to December 1999.
This increase is attributed to the off season maize costs that normally accompanies the planting season as
most farmers hold on to maize stock. This has in turn culminated in higher unit price of maize, which isreflected in the increased mealie-meal cost. There has also been a significant increase in the price per kg ofmeat (Brisket). This rise may be seen to be temporary in the sense that it may be a necessary consequenceof the festive season rush to consume more meat and related food stuffs, thereby resulting in an upwardeffect on price of meat owing to high demand for the commodity. Price increase on other commodities in
the food basket such as charcoal may be due to fuel price hike in mid December which in turn sparked off
the increase in transport cost. The price increase of commodities such as bath soap and wash soap may be
due to the continued depreciation of the Kwacha.
In spite of the fluctuations, it is clear that the general trend of pricing has been characterised by an upward
movement with a difference of K26,560 in the total cost of the food basket between December 1998 andDecember 1999. Using the December 1998 total cost of the food basket as a base value we see that a familyof six in Lusaka was spending every month, on average, an additional amount of K16,550 from January to
December 1999. This means that the cost of living has been on the rise. Contrasting the food basket
findings with the income levels of the majority of Zambians over the past twelve months, we see that there
has not been any change in the income levels of most Zambians to correspond to the rising cost of living.
Wages have stagnated or fallen in real terms. This has consequences both in family food intake (e.g., risingmalnutrition rates) and in anti-social coping strategies (e.g., crime).
Prepared by Alex Muyebe, Economic and Social Development Research Project, Jesuit Centre for
Theological Reflection, P.O. Box 37774, 10101 Lusaka, Zambia, tel: 260-1-290410; fax: 260-1-290759;
e-mail: muyebe@zamnet.zm

PRESS RELEASE

7 JULY 2000

JCTR SAYS HIGH COST OF LIVING MANIFESTS WORSENING
SOCIAL CRISIS AND CHALLENGES CG MEETINGThe 16 June statement by the Zambia Episcopal Conference, as well as therecent report by the Zambia Social Watch Coalition, highlights the social crisis
currently being experienced by the country. This is one issue that needs to betaken very seriously by the government, especially during the up-coming
Consultative Group meetings, according to the Jesuit Centre for Theological
Reflection (JCTR).
The social crisis is manifested in the increasing inability on the part of the
majority of Zambians to have access to proper health services, education, cleanwater, shelter and, most importantly, adequately balanced diets. According toMuweme Muweme, coordinator of JCTR’s Economic and Social Development
Research Project, the most recent food basket survey reveals an upward trend
in prices.
For the month of June, the food basket for a family of six in Lusaka stands at
K277,870. This is an increase of K7,950 from the K269,920 figure for themonth of May. The basket does not include housing, water, electricity, fuel,transport, clothing, education, health care, recreation, etc.
According to Muweme, the increase reflects the continued fall in the value ofthe Kwacha in relation to foreign currencies. From the beginning of May to theend of June, the Kwacha fell by 5.42%, from K2,900/dollar to K3,110. Barclay’s
Bank estimates the fall will continue through the end of July, to K 3200. Thisdepreciation has been pushing the prices of most goods upwards, with the
exception of maize, which has declined because of a relatively higher supply atthis time of the year.
The ever rising (with insignificant periodic declines) cost of the food basket has
meant an ever increasing challenge to the majority of citizens to meet thebarest minimum of necessities. “This underscores the fact that the country ismoving towards a serious social crisis of unprecedented proportions,” says
Muweme, “if the trend is not reversed.” Salaries of teachers, nurses, police
officers and secretaries in the civil service to mention but a few are well below
the estimated monthly food basket.
For this reason, the JCTR strongly urges government to look at more effective
ways of addressing the current social crisis. Poverty reduction must be thenumber one agenda item of the CG meetings, which begins in Lusaka on 16
July. To echo the Bishops’ sentiments in their recent pastoral letter, “There isno future development without healthy and educated citizens.”

PRESS RELEASE

1 SEPTEMBER 2000

WIDENING GAP BETWEEN FOOD BASKET AND SALARIES:WHAT DO POLITICAL PARTY MANIFESTOS HAVE TO OFFER?
As we approach the elections year, citizens will experience attempts by various politicalparties to articulate or re-articulate their manifestos. The Jesuit Centre for Theological
Reflection (JCTR) shares the view expressed recently by the Federation of Free Trade
Unions (FFTU) that Party Manifestos should be made available for scrutiny by workers
in particular and citizens in general.
If there is one issue that needs to be taken seriously and deserves attention in Political
Party Manifestos, it is living conditions in relation to the widening gap between thefood basket and people's incomes.
The JCTR August food basket for a family of six in Lusaka stands at K272,305. This
reflects a slight drop from the July figure of K277,475, mainly attributed to thecontinued drop in the price of mealie meal during this time of the year. However, thisdoes not suggest any improvement in the living conditions of the people. ''Standards ofliving have continued to fall due to the widening gap between people's incomes and thecost of the food basket,'' observes Muweme Muweme, Coordinator of the Economic
and Social Development Research Project of the JCTR.
As of 31 August 2000, the salary of a Primary School Teacher stood between K110,000
and K150,000; that of a Secretary in the Civil service between K125,000 and K165,000;
a Nurse between K125,000 and K175,000; a Police Officer between K100,000 andK180,000. When compared with the cost of the August basket (K272,305), a huge
disparity is indeed shown. If we add to the food basket transport, housing, fuel,clothing, education, health care, recreation, etc., the gap would even become muchwider.
According to Muweme ''this situation offers the Zambian people a major challenge tocritically assess what is on offer from Political Party Manifestos in terms of meeting therequirements of a food basket which has remained beyond the reach of many.''
Any Party Manifesto that does not put the question of enabling people to afford thefood basket within its mainstream policy does not reflect the importance of people as
key players in an economy. Having access to food is one of the cardinal issues inpeople's lives as food accessibility or non-accessibility is an indicator of poverty levels
and a determinant of people's participation in various activities.
[For more information, contact Muweme Muweme, Economic and Social
Development Research Project of the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection,
P.O. BOX 37774, Lusaka, Zambia; tel: 260-1-290410; e-mail:jctr@zamnet.zm;
internet: www.jctr.org.zm]

PRESS RELEASE

3 OCTOBER 2000

COMESA'S FREE TRADE AREA AND ITS SOCIALIMPLICATIONS
The current regional efforts through COMESA aimed at uplifting the member
countries' economies are being widely commended. The putting in place of the
COMESA Free Trade Area where there shall be no trade barriers is particularlycommended, especially considering the role of trade in national development.
However, the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR) is deeply
concerned about the social implications of the COMESA Free Trade Area thatis taking effect end of this month, says Muweme Muweme, Coordinator of the
JCTR's Economic and Social Development Research Project.
A major concern arises out of the likely reduced government revenue from duty
charges and how the government will meet its requirements for expenditure invarious sectors with a weaker revenue base.
This concern is a very critical one that appears to have been ignored.
According to Muweme, ''There could be a situation where in order forgovernment to have revenue, it might resort to heavy reductions in social sector
spending, education, health etc. And given the already existing inadequate
spending on these sectors, the situation might be worse with the coming of theFree Trade Area.''
Government might also resort to raising taxes, which again would mean an
added burden to the already heavily taxed few people in the formal sector. This
will obviously curtail people from meeting education, health and foodrequirements.
This situation is particularly dangerous now, when so many Zambians cannot
afford to meet the cost of the monthly food basket due to the ever-widening gap
between their salaries and the cost of basic commodities. For example, thecost of the JCTR food basket for a family of six in Lusaka during September
was K278,375.00, representing an increase of K6,070.00 from the August
figure of K272,305.00.
Whereas these concerns are there, what is worrying is that there have not beenmuch discussion or serious studies into the social implications of the FTA for
Zambia. Muweme further says ''We know for certain that there is not awatertight argument for the FTA as far as Zambia is concerned. It is a game
being left to chance!''It is also worrying to note that while some countries may benefit from the FTA
arrangements because of having relatively stronger economies, Zambia stands
to lose on various accounts.
First, Zambia is a high cost area for production partly because of being
landlocked. This may mean that even foreign firms wishing to set-up subsidiarycompanies for the sake of taking advantage of the FTA, may decide to set-up
their companies elsewhere.
Second, there is no manufacturing sector in Zambia to take comparativeadvantage of the COMESA FTA. The few manufacturing companies that still
exist cannot compete effectively with foreign firms. The negative trade balancethat the country has been experiencing could just move to an even worse
position.
Third, the agricultural sector continues in a precarious situation and there arefew export agricultural products being generated. It appears before thisproblem is remedied, the country will have to experience an inflow of foreign
products.
All these factors have great implications on the social well being of the people.
Employment levels may move from their current unpleasant state to even lower
figures. This will mean more people struggling to meet the cost of the foodbasket which is anticipated to continue rising. Moreover, in the whole FTA
equation, there is not much talk about free movement of people and what thismight mean for Zambia.
According to Muweme, there is need to critically examine the social implicationsof the COMESA FTA and to be prudently cautious about the whole approach toit. ''Zambia cannot afford to go beyond the current poverty levels as manifested
in the inability of most people to afford the basic necessities of life.'' Presently,
there is every reason to be apprehensive about the COMESA FTA.
[For more information, contact Muweme Muweme, Economic and Social
Development Research Project of the Jesuit Centre for Theological
Reflection, P.O. Box 37774, Lusaka, Zambia; tel 260-1-290410; e-mail:jctr@zamnet.zm; internet: www.jctr.org.zm]

PRESS RELEASE

2 NOVEMBER 2000

FOOD BASKET COST SHOOTS UP:
JCTR CALLS UPON PARLIAMENT TO SERIOUSLY LOOK AT
THE RISING COST OF LIVINGThe Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR) is calling upon Zambian parliamentscheduled to open its final sitting of the year on 7 November to take a serious look at therising cost of living in the country and come-up with immediate and intermediate measuresthat would help mitigate the suffering of the people caused by the rising cost of living.
According to the JCTR's monthly food basket for a family of six in Lusaka, the cost of living
has gone up by a huge margin. The survey indicates that for a family of six in Lusaka tosurvive, without taking into account transport, health, education, housing, etc., they would
need K290,310. This shows an increase of K11,935 from the September figure of K278,375.
This rise is in the wake of an interaction of various forces. The increase in the cost of fuelhas precipitated an increase in inflation and also has necessitated corresponding incrementsin the prices of various commodities and services. Added to all this has been the Kwacha's
continued depreciation in relation to the United States Dollar. According to Barclays Bank,
the Kwacha will continue to fall until the end of the year and probably continue doing so in
the New Year.
Muweme Muweme, Coordinator of JCTR's Economic and Social Development Project,observes that while some of the factors leading to rising cost of living may be external, thereis every need to look at domestic interventions that would help cushion the serious negative
impacts on the poor.
According to Muweme, ''if the added cost of our fuel in relation to other countries is also
influenced by tax imposed by government, why not remove or minimise that tax to levels thatwould not send huge spiralling effects in terms of price increases?'' It is common knowledge
that manageable fuel costs will have long term positive effects on the development of ourindustry as well as attracting the much talked about foreign investors and improving our
trading possibilities within the new COMESA FTA agreement.
The other intervention should be to make next year's budget pro-poor not in rhetoric but inreality, that is in practical policy terms. There are ways and means through which the risingcost of living and deteriorating living standards can be checked. For example, Parliamentshould look at specific things like abolishing school fees, directing resources towards healthcare, improving agricultural policies, etc. The current socio-economic trends continue tomarginalize people's participation in economic development in that they are incapacitated.
This situation is in itself an antithesis to development.
Muweme further says,"It is time that the debates and decisions in Parliament should beorientated towards issues that would help improve poor living conditions and ease thegeneral suffering of the people.'' This, in JCTR's view, should especially characterise thecoming sitting of Parliament.
[For more information, contact Muweme Muweme, Economic and Social Development
Research Project of the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection, P.O. Box 37774,
Lusaka, Zambia; tel 260-1-290410;e-mail:jctr@zamnet.zm; internet:www.jctr.org.zm]

PRESS RELEASE

27 DECEMBER, 2000

YEAR 2000 WINDS UP WITH A VERY HIGH INCREASE IN COST
OF FOOD BASKET OBSERVES JCTR
As we approach the end of the year 2000, there is much discussion about thestate of Zambia's economy. The Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection(JCTR) notes that a key topic of discussion is the significance of Zambia's
qualification for debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC)
initiative, especially as to how it will benefit the poor in the country.
Another central focus of attention has been the dramatic depreciation of the
Kwacha against major currencies such as the US dollar and the British Pound
Sterling and the consequence of this for business stability.
.
All these discussions are taking place against the well-known background of
relentless deterioration in the living conditions of the majority of Zambians
because of their inability to meet the cost of minimal survival.
Latest figures of the JCTR ''Food Basket'' reveal how difficult this economic
situation is. The year-end (December) cost of the food basket is now
K312,695.00, up by K49,325.00 from the year beginning (January) figure of
K263,370. A major rise in the cost of the food basket was recorded in
December, when it rose by K22,100.00 from the November cost of
K290,595.00.
The depreciation of the Kwacha to the tune of 16 per cent in November
accounts significantly for the rise in the cost of the food basket for the month ofDecember, observes Muweme Muweme, Coordinator of Economic and Social
Development Research Project of the JCTR.
The food basket looks at the cost of items for a family of six in Lusaka, such as
mealie meal, sugar, tea, vegetables, eggs, etc. If we include non-food items
necessary for human survival such health, transport, water, electricity,
education, etc., the cost would even be much higher.
INFLATION TROUBLES

A look at the trends in the monthly cost of the Food Basket reveals the sharp
increase in the cost of living over the past year (see the graph below). The costof the food basket has consistently been rising, with records of minimal
increase during the time when the market experiences an increase in the
supply of maize, and high increases whenever there is an increase in the priceof fuel as well as a remarkable depreciation in the value of the Kwacha.

The Bank of Zambia has recently estimated that the overall inflation rate for2000 would be close to 30%. This is disappointingly much higher than the 19%
target announced by the government last January in its 2000 Budget.
FigureNovember

September

July

May

March

320,000
310,000
300,000
290,000
280,000
270,000
260,000
250,000
240,000
230,000
January

Value in Kwacha

Trends in cost of Food Basket,
2000

Month

POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS

As we look ahead to the year 2001, what does the above scenario tell us interms of policy intervention? Muweme suggests three important implications:First, government should seriously look at factors that are responsible for therise in the cost of living. It is not enough to attribute the problem to factors suchas a surge in the price of crude oil and a failure to fight inflation. ''We must findeffective ways of mitigating the impact of this phenomenon, particularly on thepoor,'' says Muweme. This should be a major focus of the Poverty Reduction
Strategy Paper (PRSP) process that is currently underway.
Second, next year's budget should as much as possible be pro-poor so that theburden of suffering which is increasing every day on the part of the poor islessened. To this end, JCTR echoes the Catholic Commission for Justice andPeace (CCJP) recent call that the 2001 budget be pro-poor in real practicalterms.
Third, good yields in the agricultural sector impact positively on the economy ingeneral and living standards in particular. Therefore calls by variousorganisations to look seriously into improving the agricultural sector must be
taken heed of by the government.
''HIPC, PRSP, Kwacha stabilisation and other macro-economic measures,''says Muweme, '' must be clearly oriented toward improving the micro-economic
situation of ordinary Zambians.''[For more information, contact Muweme Muweme, Economic and Social
Development Research Project of the Jesuit Centre for Theological
Reflection, P.O. Box 37774, Lusaka, Zambia; tel 260-1-290410; email:jctr@zamnet.zm; internet: www.jctr.org.zm]

PRESS RELEASE

31 JANUARY 2001

KWACHA APPRECIATES BUT PRICES REMAIN HIGH,OBSERVES JCTR
Recently, the Government of the Republic of Zambia announced measures aimed ataddressing the depreciation of the currency. The measures are also seen as a way oftackling the inflation problem. Since the measures took effect, the Kwacha has been seen to
appreciate, moving from around K4,500 per US Dollar to currently K3,500 per US Dollar.
The Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR) wishes to commend government on themeasures taken because they are seen to be efforts aimed at ultimately improving the living
conditions of the people, especially the poor.
However, it is striking to note that since these measures were announced with the resultant''appreciation'' of the Kwacha, no significant positive changes can be observed in theeconomy in the area that touches everyone, the price of food.
There has not been any change in prices to reflect the appreciation of the Kwacha. Thisobviously implies that there is something missing in the economy that needs to beaddressed. ''Targeting the Kwacha alone is not enough since so far there is no relation
between the Kwacha's appreciation and the prices,'' says Muweme Muweme, Coordinator of
the Economic and Social Development Research Project of JCTR.
The JCTR monthly Food Basket, a cost of living survey for a family of six in Lusaka indicatesan increase of K7, 175 from the December 2000 figure of K312, 695 to K319, 870 for
January 2001. This is just the cost of some food items, without adding nutritional items (e.g.,
milk kapenta, beans, etc.) and the cost of non-food items (e.g., education, housing, transportetc.). Under normal circumstances, one would have expected the recent appreciation of the
Kwacha to begin to correspond with the actual price situation in the country.
The 2001 National Budget has been presented under the theme ''Empowering People for
Prosperity''. ''Indeed it is important to recognise that an economy exists for the people andnot the other way,'' says Muweme. ''This means that people should be key players in an
economy through their economic empowerment. There must be deliberate efforts in terms ofpolicy formulation towards creation of situations that enable people to be effective and fullkey players.''
Moreover, the cost of the food basket is by far higher than the K200, 000 lowest salary for
public employees promised in this year's budget. Muweme observes that ''while social sector
spending has been increased in this year's budget, one would still wonder how economic
empowerment would be achieved with wages that do not seriously take account of theprevailing cost of living.''
It is therefore JCTR's view that the theme for this year's budget should not simply be rhetoric
but must be translated into real action. Parliament should look closely at those factors thatare responsible for the relentless suffering of the majority of the Zambian people, one ofwhich is high prices in the face of low wages.
Please note the new format of the food basket. Do you think it is an improved format?
Send us comments and suggestions.
[For more information, contact Muweme Muweme, Economic and Social Development Research Projectof the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection, P.O. BOX 37774, Lusaka, Zambia; tel: 260-1-290410; email: jctr@zamnet.zm; internet: www.jctr.org.zm]

PRESS RELEASEFEBRUARY 2001

JCTR CALLS FOR SHARPER FOCUS ON
DEVELOPMENT ISSUES
Attainment of development goals--that is, improvement in people’s well being such as having
access to education, health care, employment, nutritional diets, etc.--is a process that entails
constant analysis, monitoring and focus on issues that lead to attainment of such.
Any form of distraction to that process may lead to losing course of direction and thereby
derailing development, people’s well being. ‘’This derailment implies only one thing:prolonged suffering of the Zambian people,’’ says Muweme Muweme, coordinator, Economic
and Social Development Project of the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR).
According to the Economic and Social Development Project, a sharper focus on integral
development must not be lost. On one hand, Zambia’s human development indicators on
almost all accounts, (education, life expectancy, literacy, etc.), are generally very low with nosigns of improving. On the other hand, trends in cost of living show a constant increase.
The JCTR monthly food basket, a cost of living survey for a family of six in Lusaka, shows anincrease of K8,210 from January’s figure of K319,870 to K328,080 for the month of February.
(This increase is part of a constant pattern over the past year)
This indeed is a substantial rise that will impact negatively on the well being of the people
whose incomes have remained stagnant. It is now a trend for the country to experience priceincreases in food and other basic necessities for human survival every month. ‘’There must
be national commitment to improve people’s well being if the country can begin to experiencea wind of hope towards poverty alleviation and ultimately its eradication,’’ says Muweme.
Currently, Zambia is in the process of formulating a Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper(PRSP), which will be a blueprint for the country on national development. This indeed is an
important process that equals national planning within the free market economy
dispensation. It is an exercise that requires the whole nation to prudently and diligently focus
on this important process that can help this country address the overwhelming problem ofpoverty.
It is against this background that the Economic and Social Development Project of the JCTR
calls upon national leaders, of whatever political party, ''to sharpen their focus and apply
greater vigour and pragmatism on issues that are genuinely pertinent to the development of
this country, issues that are at the core of lessening the burden of suffering on the part of thepoor.’’[For more information, contact Muweme Muweme of the Economic and Social
Development Research Project of the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection,
P.O.Box 37774, Lusaka, Zambia; tel: 260-1-290410; e-mail: jctr@zamnet.zm; internet
www.jctr.org.zm]

PRESS RELEASEMARCH 2001

PRICE STABILITY, DECREASE AND INCREASE
CHARACTERISE FOOD BASKETAs we move into the second quarter of the year, the Economic and Social
Development Research Project of the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection(JCTR) monthly food basket has shown a varied trend in prices of the cost ofitems.
According to Muweme Muweme, Coordinator of the Economic and Social
Development Research Project, the price of mealie meal, cooking oil, eggs,
salt, vaseline, for example, has shown a very marginal decrease as compared
to last month's cost while meat and wash soap have recorded marginal priceincrease.
However, charcoal has recorded a very high increase. This is because oftransportation and other difficulties associated with its production during therainy season. The increase in the price of charcoal from K26,000 to K38,000
for two 90 kg bags for a family of six has accounted significantly for the rise in
the cost of the food basket which now stands at K335,300 from the February
figure of K328,080.
This is against a situation where the use of charcoal is very high among poor
households because of the high electricity tariffs. For example, one woman
interviewed noted that '' I use charcoal when cooking such food items as beans
and fish as these take very long to cook.''''It is obvious that the current high charcoal price will greatly disadvantage manypoor households leading to heightened poverty situations,'' says Muweme.
Other items such as bread and bath soap have not shown any changes, they
have remained stable.
The marginal price decreases recorded in some cases, show very little
correspondence in the economy between the commodity prices and thestrengthening of the Kwacha.
Muweme further observes that ''significant price decreases on most of theessential commodities would greatly ease the hardships the Zambian people
are experiencing everyday.''[For more information, contact Muweme Muweme, Economic and Social Development
Research Project of the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection, P.O. Box 37774,
Lusaka, Zambia; tel 260-1-290410;e-mail:jctr@zamnet.zm; internet:www.jctr.org.zm]

PRESS RELEASE

JUNE 2001

JCTR URGES GOVERNMENT TO GO BEYONDMEETING PROJECTED ECONOMIC TARGETS
In this year's budget the government projected that the Zambian economy will grow by 5 per
cent, an increase from last year's growth rate of 3.5 per cent (down from the projected figureof 4 per cent); year-end inflation for 2001 was projected to be contained to the figure of 17.5
per cent. According to the recent statement by the Minister of Finance and Economic
Development on Budget and Economic Performance for the First Half of the Year, theinflation figure as of May 2001 stood at 22.2 per cent, down from the December 2000 figureof 30.1 per cent.
''Obviously meeting these targets is fundamental to the improvement of Zambia's economy.
But equally important is what this means in terms of cost of living for ordinary people,''observes Muweme Muweme, Coordinator of the Economic and Social Development
Research Project of the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection.
For example, the cost of the Food Basket of the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection isstrongly determined each month by several factors, among them the inflation levels in the
country and the value of the Kwacha in relation to other currencies. The Food Basket is by
no means a measure of the cost of living in its entirety. It does not include cost of electricity,water, housing, etc.
Muweme further says, ''as an estimate only of cost of food for a family of six in Lusaka, theFood Basket currently costs K328,570 down from last month's of K329,400. A reduction of
only K830. This reduction cannot meaningfully impact on cost of living, the cost of living still
remains high.''That the Food Basket does not measure cost of living in its entirety implies that if other costs
as mentioned above are factored in -- especially if we take the size of a household whichmight be more than that of a family -- then the overall cost of living would undoubtedly bemuch higher.
Therefore, the Economic and Social Development Research Project of the JCTR feels both
encouraged and discouraged by the statement from the Minister of Finance and Economic
Development on Budget and Inflation Situation in Zambia.
We are encouraged in the sense that the country in the first half of 2001 appears to bemoving towards the projected year-end inflation figure of 17.5 per cent as envisioned in thisyear's budget. However, we are discouraged in that there has been no impact at all on costof living. In addition, there are still some threats both at the local and international levels thatmight impact negatively on the inflation situation and the overall economic situation.
For example, the value of the Kwacha in relation to other currencies continues to beunstable, the volatility in the price of crude oil, etc. In addition, the shutting down recently ofcompanies like Lamise Plastic Container Manufacturing Plant, Amanita Milling and Amanita
Zambiana operations paint a gloomy picture on the country's economy.
''This situation is undoubtedly inconsistent with the attainment of the projected year-end
inflation and the economic growth target as well as overall improvement in living conditions ofZambian people,'' says Muweme.
[For more information, contact Muweme Muweme, Economic and Social Development
Research Project of the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection, P.O. BOX 37774, Lusaka,
Zambia; tel: 260-1-290410; e-mail: jctr@zamnet.zm; internet: www.jctr.org.zm]

PRESS RELEASE

30 JULY 2001

COST OF JCTR FOOD BASKET RECORDSSLIGHT INCREASE
The Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR) Food Basket for a family of
six in Lusaka for the month of July stands at K332,520. This is up by K3,950
from the June figure of K328,570. However, it must be pointed out that thiscost is mainly for food. It excludes other essential items such as housing,electricity, water, transport, clothing, etc.
Muweme Muweme, Coordinator of the Economic and Social Development
Project of the JCTR, observes that ''The overall cost of the Food Basket can be
influenced even by the rise in select or individual items composing it.'' The
current rise in cost of Food Basket can be largely attributed to the price of
mealie meal which has increased recently. This implies that the cost of living
still continues to rise.
It is in the light of the rising cost of living that JCTR acknowledges thesettlement of the wage dispute in the country and the importance of the recently
released money to pay council workers' arrears by government. However,while acknowledging these two developments, JCTR would like to note thefollowing very urgent points:
x That the cost of living is still high. It is unlikely that the recent wage
increase will in fact offset the rise in cost of living.
x That the settlement is not an end in itself. JCTR urges a continuous
review of the wages to arrive at wages that more adequately reflect costof living.
x That wages should be paid on time to mitigate suffering.
x That the recently released money by government to pay arrears due tocouncil workers will go towards meeting that purpose and not be diverted
for other purposes. Council workers in different parts of the country have
had to endure a lot of suffering. It is only morally right that their suffering
is lessened.
''The importance of wages can not be overemphasised since human well being
is among other things predicated on income. Household food security, sending
children to school, medical expenses, etc., all depend among other things on
people's ability to meet the costs involved,'' says Muweme.
[For more information, contact Muweme Muweme, Economic and Social Development
Research Project of the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection, P.O. BOX 37774,
Lusaka, Zambia; tel: 260-1-290410; e-mail: jctr@zamnet.zm; internet: www.jctr.org.zm]

PRESS RELEASE

31 AUGUST 2001

JCTR FOOD BASKET RECORDS HUGE INCREASE:PROPORTION OF HOUSEHOLD EXPENDITURE ON
MEALIE MEAL RISESThe Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR) monthly Food Basket for afamily of six in Lusaka has recorded a huge increase in its cost. The cost of theFood Basket for the month of August stands at K348,500. This is up by
K15,980 from the July figure of K332,520.
According to JCTR Economic and Social Development Research Project
Coordinator Muweme Muweme, ''the increase is largely attributed to the rise in
the cost of mealie meal during the month of August.'' The cost of mealie meal
now averages K24, 100. This translates into K72, 300 for the three bags
required to feed a family of six in Lusaka.
''The huge rise in the cost of the Food Basket means that the salary increments
recently worked out by government will not be as effective as they would havebeen in countering high cost of living had the cost of the Food Basket remained
stable,'' observes Muweme.
Muweme further says that ''as an estimate only of the cost of food for a family of
six in Lusaka, the huge rise in the cost of Food Basket means also that the
proportion of household expenditure on food will also have to increase at theexpense of health, education, housing, transport, etc.''
According to Central Statistical Office publication, Living Conditions in Zambia(1998), Preliminary Report, food amounted to 59 per cent as a share of thenational household expenditure. Already we see here (1998) that the foodbudget was very high -- indicative of high poverty levels. With the rise in thecurrent cost of the Food Basket, the situation will even become worse.
JCTR hopes that the current rise in the price of mealie meal will be a temporal
one. Further, that the measures government has put in place such as theimportation of maize to fill the maize shortfall in national requirements and thebanning of exports of maize will result in making the price of mealie meal
affordable.
[For more information, contact Muweme Muweme, Economic and Social Development
Research Project of the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection, P.O. BOX 37774,
Lusaka, Zambia; tel: 260-1-290410; e-mail: jctr@zamnet.zm; internet: www.jctr.org.zm]

PRESS RELEASE

30 SEPTEMBER 2001

LACK OF POLITICAL SENSITIVITY TO
COST OF LIVING WORRIES JCTR
The current high level of cost of living is exceedingly difficulty to cope with and has led togreater 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 asignificant one. This is so because it is taking place at an already much higher figure beyond
the reach of many poor households,'' says Muweme.
What is also worrying in this environment of deteriorating living conditions is the lack ofpolitical sensitivity and zeal to act promptly to avert crisis situations. The shortfall in themaize stock national requirement is an issue that should have been addressed long ago
without necessarily leading to the current levels in the price of mealie meal. For example,
when did the nation know that it was going to experience a short fall in maize national
requirements? And when were remedial measures supposed to be put in place? Why was
the prompt action delayed?
Worse still is the fact that as we approach the elections, very little in terms of programmes toaddress the problem of rising cost of living is being talked about by various political parties.
Before the events of 11 September 2001 in the United States, there were already indications
that the global economy was beginning to slow down. This was shown by reports of job
losses in industrial economies such as Japan and Germany.
However, Muweme further says, ''What is more worrying now is the fact that the process of
economic slow down is going to be given much impetus following what happened in the
United States. This ultimately will impact negatively on the already high cost of living in
Zambia, especially with possible rising price of fuel and declining price of copper.''
Two issues emerge from what is happening pertaining to the availability of maize and to theslow down 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 levelon the national economy.
Currently, without any precautions in place, the situation both locally and internationally gives
very little hope in terms of uplifting Zambia's living conditions. According to Muweme, ''We
Zambian citizens need to hear our competing politicians talk more about these issues so that
we can vote for wise and effective leaders.''[For more information, contact Muweme Muweme, Economic and Social Development
Research Project of the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection, P.O. BOX 37774, Lusaka,
Zambia; tel: 260-1-290410; e-mail: socialjctr@zamnet.zm; web: www.jctr.org.zm]

PRESS RELEASE

31 OCTOBER 2001

APPROPRIATE AND PROMPT POLICY RESPONSESIN AGRICULTURE VITAL, OBSERVES JCTR
As signs of rainfall become conspicuous and thus signalling the beginning of the
agricultural season, the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection, (JCTR) is calling foradequate preparedness in making available sufficient agricultural inputs (fertilizers,
seed, etc) to enable adequate crop production.
Without adequate preparations, Zambia may have to import maize again next year. It
should be noted that Zambia need not import maize next year unless in circumstances
beyond the country's control such as drought and floods. Observes Muweme Muweme,
Coordinator of the Economic and Social Development Research Project of the JCTR.
Poor agricultural production leads to increases in the cost of living as we are witnessing
now. The JCTR Food Basket for a family of six in Lusaka is now costing K358,400
compared to last month's cost of K357,300.
According to Muweme, the rise is mainly attributed to the rising cost of mealie meal
which has seen an adjustment to feed a family of six from K72,900 for the month of
September to K75, 000 for October. ''Where we can, let us as a country avoid such
trends in cost of living which hurt the poor most,'' says Muweme.
Muweme further says that what seems to be more worrying is the lack of prompt andaccurate policy responses to a lot of difficulties the country goes through, particularly
those pertaining to agriculture. No where is this more evident than what we areexperiencing now as revealed by the JCTR monthly Food Basket and the current
situation concerning maize stocks in the country.
The words of one socio-economic analyst, Dr. Peter Henriot puts it more succinctly andaptly when analysing the agricultural situation in Zambia when he says, ''Zambia seems
to suffer from double drought. First, a policy drought where there is often too little andtoo late effective meeting of farmers' needs to produce food. Second, a natural drought
where there is too little rain to enable crop production.''We can see here that the first kind of drought can be easily controlled compared to thesecond one. The failure to deal with the first kind of drought usually exacerbates thesecond kind.
It is therefore JCTR's hope that the country will this season have appropriate rainfall toenable crop production as well as appropriate policy responses to the situation in the
agricultural sector.
[For more information, contact Muweme Muweme, Economic and Social Development
Research Project of the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection, P.O. BOX 37774, Lusaka,
Zambia; tel: 260-1-290410; e-mail: socialjctr@zamnet.zm; web: www.jctr.org.zm]

PRESS RELEASE

30 NOVEMBER 2001

HIGH COST OF LIVING SHOULD BE AN ESSENTIAL
FOCUS FOR POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS, SAYS JCTRAs the political campaigns for the forth-coming tripartite elections move towards
heightened levels, Zambian people continue experiencing worsening hardships in living
conditions, says the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR).
If only living conditions could be tackled with the greatest enthusiasm as being
exhibited currently during electoral campaigns, there could be greater impact on improving
welfare, observes Muweme Muweme, Coordinator of the Economic and Social Development
Project of the JCTR.
The JCTR monthly Food Basket -- that measures cost of living -- for a family of six in
Lusaka has highlighted the continued disastrous living conditions in the country. The cost of
the Food Basket for the month of November stands at an all-time high of K377, 300.
However, this does not include other essential items that are necessary for humansurvival and well-being such as housing, electricity, water, clothing, fuel, transport, education,
health care, recreation, etc. The current cost of Food Basket indicates a substantial increaseof K18,900 from the previous month's cost of K358,400. This increase is mainly attributed tothe continued rising cost of mealie meal. The average Lusaka price recorded was K29,100(up from K17,300 only six months ago), we hear of the price being over K40, 000-K50,000 inother parts of the country!
We also know that the majority of households in Zambia spend most of their income
on food. The rise in cost of the Food Basket means that a lot of households will becompelled to reduce the number of meals per day or do away completely with other essential
expenditures.
Muweme further says that ''Current trends in cost of living raise great fears about the
future, particularly that government has allowed the inadequate maize situation to prolong far
too long without being effectively and equitably addressed.''In this situation of high cost of living, two issues as a matter of development policy
become particularly important now that political parties are busy campaigning. First,
agriculture and its supportive role to other industries -- mining, manufacturing, etc. Second,
employment creation with adequate wages.
These two issues are very critical to determining living conditions of the people.
Therefore those aspiring to take responsibility of governing this country must tell the nation
what they will do about agricultural policy and the employment situation.
It is JCTR's strong call that as the country moves towards elections on 27 December,these two important issues will be core in the campaigns of the various political parties andall the respective candidates for President, MPs and Local Government Councillors.
[For more information, contact Muweme Muweme, Economic and Social Development
Research Project of the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection, P.O. BOX 37774, Lusaka,
Zambia; tel: 260-1-290410; e-mail: socialjctr@zamnet.zm; web: www.jctr.org.zm]

PRESS RELEASE

8 JANUARY 2002

REFLECTIONS ON THE YEAR 2001:
JCTR FOOD BASKET AND NEEDS OF THE
ZAMBIAN PEOPLE
As Zambia approached the end of the year 2001, two issues became very prominent: thetripartite elections and deterioration in living conditions. The former is now past us while thelatter is still with us taking on even worse proportions, says the Jesuit Centre for Theological
Reflection (JCTR).
The current situation of rising cost of living cannot be attributed to anything else other thanpoor planning. The price of mealie meal in Zambia -- considering the country's natural
endowments -- need not be as high as it is currently. The country can and should certainly
grow its own maize to meet the demands of Zambian families, observes Muweme Muweme
Coordinator of the Economic and Social Development Project of the JCTR.
According to Muweme, the JCTR monthly Food Basket that measures cost of living for afamily of six in Lusaka stood at an all-time high figure at end of year 2001. It was up by
K2,090 from the November figure of K377,300 to K379,390. Two points need to bementioned here regarding these figures.
First the increase in the cost of the Food Basket is mainly attributed to the rising cost of
mealie meal. The price of mealie meal remains highly volatile. As a consequence, the priceasked for this first week of January in many markets varies between K30,000 and K65,000.
The cost reflected in the Food Basket on 24 December 2001 averages K28,730.
Second, the K2,090 increase in the cost of the Food Basket, though relatively small, is taking
place within the context of an already high cost of living. Moreover, the JCTR Food Basket
does not include in its measurement the cost of housing, transport, electricity, water, clothing,health, education, etc. It is a measure only of basic necessities for human survival.
Alongside the continued serious deterioration in living conditions during the year 2001 werealso efforts on the part of government at containing inflation and attaining the growth target
set out at the beginning of the year. Muweme observes: ''While inflation has allegedly been
contained to manageable levels around 17 Percent, cost of living as revealed by the Food
Basket continued to rise for the whole of the year.'' (see figure below)
Figure:Cost in Kwacha

2001 Trends in Cost of Living
Measured by JCTR Food Basket

400,000
380,000
360,000
340,000
320,000
300,000
280,000
1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Month

8

9 10 11 12

The cost of the Food Basket for 2001 opened with a January figure of K319,870 and closedwith a December figure of K379,390. This represents an increase for the year of K59,520 in
the cost of the Food Basket or an inflation figure of 19 per cent.
''While dealing with the problem of inflation and reaching certain economic growth targets areimportant, more important is the question of how those efforts translate into improving the
lives of ordinary people,'' says Muweme.

What Lessons for the Future?

We know that targeting inflation alone is not a panacea to solving the problem of cost ofliving. There has to be greater attention to agriculture and other sectors of the economy thatare potentially huge employers and also impact positively on living conditions.
Due to the poor performance of the agricultural sector, we are witnessing a phenomenon
where rural people are relying on supplies of mealie meal from the urban centres. Thisobviously is creating the problem of affordability on the part of the rural population as most ofthem do not earn any income to purchase the commodity. Moreover there is also the
problem of distribution, considering that some roads are impassable during the rainy season.
Muweme also says that there is need for government to avoid having to deal with crisis
situations by ensuring that measures are put in place well in advance to solve an imminent
problem or disaster. ''The current maize situation in the country would not have taken suchproportions had government been more prudent in its planning,'' states Muweme. Going by
the current situation in relation to the distribution of farming inputs, one would find it very
difficult to be hopeful about a productive agricultural season during this present year.
JCTR therefore calls upon government to exercise a greater sense of empathy and to solve
the current problem of high cost of living in the country especially as it is currently
manifesting itself in the price of mealie meal. Moreover, we call upon the new Administrationin State House and the new Parliament to meet later this month to address more rational
planning to meet the needs of the Zambian people. ''For this reason'' says Muweme,'' we areencouraged that the key person in charge of the Zambian economy is now called the'Minister of Finance and National Planning'.''[For more information, contact Muweme Muweme, Economic and Social Development
Research Project of the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection, P.O. BOX 37774,
Lusaka, Zambia; tel: 260-1-290410; e-mail: jctr@zamnet.zm; internet: www.jctr.org.zm]

PRESS RELEASE

7 FEBRUARY 2002

FROM FOOD BASKET TO BASIC NEEDS BASKET:JCTR EFFORT FOR MORE ACCURATE AND ADEQUATE COST
OF LIVING ESTIMATESThe Economic and Social Development Research Project of the Jesuit Centre for
Theological Reflection (JCTR) has made major changes in the six-year history of theFood Basket research. The changes are both in name and content. The JCTR monthly
Food Basket will now be called the Basic Needs Basket and includes nutritionally baseddata.
According to Muweme Muweme, Coordinator of the Economic and Social
Development Research Project, the changes are a consequence of responses torecommendations that were received at the end of 2001 from several users of the Food
Basket that included trade unions, women's groups, academics, nutritionists, the Central
Statistical Office (CSO) and the media. The change is also an effort aimed at making
the monthly Food Basket more accurate and adequate in highlighting the plight of thepoor.
''As the 2002 National Budget is about to be presented to Parliament, it is important thatcitizens and policy makers have an adequate and accurate picture of the cost of living in
Zambia,'' says Muweme. This would among other things facilitate designing policies
that will be more responsive to the needs of the majority of Zambians, especially thepoor. The cost of living has continued to rise impacting negatively particularly at foodconsumption by many households both in terms of quantities and nutritional balance.
Muweme also observes that the rising cost of living has an obvious telling effect on thehealth of the people and subsequently development needs and efforts of Zambia. For
this reason and because of the strong correlation between food intake -- especiallynutritionally balanced food intake -- and welfare, the JCTR has found it imperative toinclude in its Basic Needs Basket nutritionally based data. This is aimed at giving a
picture of the cost of nutritionally based food requirements for a family of six.
The newly introduced Basic Needs Basket for the month of January for a family of six
in Lusaka costs K829,250. ''At first glance this figure may seem astronomically high,''comments Muweme, ''any Zambian reflecting on the demands of their real situation will
acknowledge that it is a true reflection of the cost of living.'' It is realistic in that inaddition to presenting nutritionally balanced food items (whose total amounts toK324,650), the Basic Needs Basket includes the cost of housing in medium density area
(averaging K350,000) and other non-food essentials (amounting to K154,600).
The current high cost of living is also manifesting itself in the price of mealie meal.
While the average in Lusaka for the month of December was K27,000, the average forJanuary 2002 is K36,000. The cost of mealie meal is one issue that has been a subjectof discussion for a long time in Zambia but has seen no change towards making thecommodity affordable to most households which already spend a huge percentage oftheir income on food with little or no income at all to spend on other needs such as
health, education, etc..

Notable Changes
One of the major changes introduced in the new format is that of separating food items
from non-food items and the cost highlighted separately. This means that the overall
total cost of the Basic Needs Basket is the sum of the total cost of food items and nonfood items. Some important additions in the overall Basic Needs Basket include fooditems such as milk, kapenta, beans and non-food items such as electricity, water andhousing.
It is also important to note that some other additional costs that are a key part of thedaily lives of people have not been included in the calculation of the total for the Basic
Needs Basket. However, because of their importance, their estimates are given
separately. These include transport, education and health. Moreover, estimates forother human requirements such as personal care, clothing, recreation, etc., are not given
because they are difficult to capture accurately.
Other changes include the expansion of the Lusaka sampling area to make the Basic
Needs Basket survey more representative. This has meant addition of other samplingareas to the previous areas of data collection. The current areas of data collection areNorthmead, Matero, Chawama, Kabwata, City centre (Shoprite), Soweto and Chainda.

Significant implications of the changes
Undoubtedly, these changes introduced have significant implications. Two of them are,x Because of the inclusion of some essential food and non-food items, the cost of
the Basic Needs Basket is significantly higher than the previous Food Basket.
However, this is a reflection of a realistic situation taking into account costs suchas nutritionally necessary items and housing, electricity, water, etc.
x Comparison of the new cost of Basic Needs Basket with the cost of the Food
Basket in previous months or years will now not be exactly possible because thetwo formats differ in content and sampling. However, what is lost in the value ofcomparability is more than balanced by the new accuracy and adequacy
presented in the new Basic Needs Basket.
Muweme further says that since this is a first attempt at designing the Basic Needs
Basket, there will obviously be the need for some improvements and refinement. JCTR
will therefore be pleased to receive comments or responses over this new proposal.
''What JCTR needs,'' says Muweme, ''is an effective tool in its continued campaign for
more just social and economic policies in Zambia.''[For more information, contact Muweme Muweme, Economic and Social Development
Research Project of the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection, P.O. BOX 37774, Lusaka,
Zambia; tel: 260-1-290410; fax: 290759; e-mail: jctr@zamnet.zm; internet: www.jctr.org.zm]

PRESS RELEASE

6 MARCH 2002

BASIC NEEDS BASKETCHALLENGES THE 2002 NATIONAL BUDGETThe 2002 National Budget presented by the Minister of Finance and National Planning has
been applauded as one of the best National Budgets Zambia has ever had. This judgment isessentially based on what the Budget has set out to achieve for the people of Zambia. But
the actual realization in concrete terms of what the Budget has set out to achieve is certainly
the greatest challenge that lies ahead, comments the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection(JCTR).
''Particularly important is whether or not the Budget proposals will enable the majority ofZambian families, especially the poor, to have enough food to eat,'' Muweme Muweme
Coordinator of the Economic and Social Development Research Project of the JCTR states,''since meeting the basic needs of the people is in our view the key criteria for judging how'good or 'bad' the Budget is.''The JCTR Basic Needs Basket which estimates cost of living in Lusaka urban for a family of
six -- taking into account costs for food such as mealie meal, beans, dry fish, meat, etc., andnon-food essentials such as housing, charcoal, electricity, water, etc -- was at the end of
February costing K823,510. This is down by K5,740 from the January figure of K829,250.
This decline is largely attributed to the decline in the price of charcoal which has reduced by
K6,000 for two 90 Kilogramme bags. This reduction is associated with low rainfall currently
being experienced in Lusaka and other parts of the country.
The JCTR thus observes that the proposed K150,000 tax exemption in this year's Budget
falls far below meeting basic needs. Indeed it hardly meets half of the monthly expenses forfood, currently costing K324,510. ''Instead of continuously strangling those in the formal
sector in terms of their ability to meet their food and non-food essential requirements for theirwelfare, government should move quickly with its plans of broadening the tax base,'' says
Muweme. This concern over broadening the tax base has been raised many times in thepast.
The attention given to agriculture in this year's National Budget, which has been a repeatedcall by JCTR, is very encouraging. It is JCTR's hope that the budgetary allocation to this
sector will translate into real action leading to improvement of lives of the poor.
Muweme further says that ''Ultimately one of the most basic criteria for judging any budget or
indeed any economic policy is what it does in concrete terms in making available food, cleanwater, education, housing, health, and other essentials of human welfare.''It is important that any Budget currently and in future move away from being somethingwhich ''might'' happen in terms of delivering to something that realistically does happen. Key
to that, states Muweme, ''will be very clear and strong monitoring of budget allocations to seethat they really do meet the needs of the poor.''[For more information, contact Muweme Muweme, Economic and Social Development
Research Project of the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection, P.O. BOX 37774, Lusaka,
Zambia; tel: 260-1-290410; fax: 290759; e-mail: jctr@zamnet.zm; internet: www.jctr.org.zm

PRESS RELEASE

03 APRIL 2002

CLARIFY POSITION ON SCHOOL FEES,JCTR URGES GOVERNMENTWith the current high levels of cost of living in the country, it is imperative that Government
immediately clarifies the issue of school fees, says the Economic and Social Development
Research Project of the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR).
Indeed, the news last month from the Ministry of Education about the abolition of all school
fees up to grade seven was received with a great sense of relief by the majority ofhouseholds throughout Zambia. However, the relief was short-lived following the
pronouncement soon after by the Ministry of Finance and National Planning that parents
were still obliged to make payments for the education of their children until budgetaryarrangements had been settled.
''The abolition of school fees is one of the important aspects to removing impediments forattending school in the current situation especially by the poor,'' says Muweme Muweme,
Coordinator of the Economic and Social Development Research Project. Research findingsin the recent JCTR study, “Will the Poor Go to School: Cost Sharing in Education in Zambia,”
demonstrated clearly that the policy of cost sharing had negative consequences.
The study, done in collaboration with OXFAM, showed, among other things, that households
are spending on primary education nearly twice the amount that is provided through the
public budget. But the economic constraints on households are increasingly intolerable andas a consequence many young people are not being sent to school.
The abolition of school fees could have relieved many households of the current situation of
the high cost of living. The JCTR Basic Needs Basket which estimates the cost of living for afamily of six in Lusaka stands for the month of March at K824,600, up from the February
figure of K823,510. This indicates an upward adjustment of K1,090. ''Though thisadjustment might seem to be minimal,'' says Muweme, ''it is however taking place at an
already extremely high level of cost of living.''Moreover, if we draw our attention only to food -- excluding the cost of essential non-fooditems -- it can be seen that only the cost of feeding for a family of six is still high, currently at
K327,300. ''How many households in Zambia have above K300,000 as monthly income attheir disposal?'' Asks Muewme.
JCTR therefore urges government to move quickly in ensuring that all school fees for the
primary school level -- just one of the many loads bringing hardship to many households -are abolished. This must be done very clearly, not just on paper but in practical terms (andhopefully subsequently for secondary level). Only in this way can there be an assurance ofsustainable development for Zambia for the future.

[For more information, contact Muweme Muweme, Economic and Social Development Research Projectof the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection, P.O. BOX 37774, Lusaka, Zambia; tel: 260-1-290410; fax:
290759; e-mail: jctr@zamnet.zm; internet: www.jctr.org.zm

PRESS RELEASE

30 APRIL 2002

JCTR SAYS HIGH COST OF LIVING
ENHANCING REPRODUCTION OF POVERTY
The current and continuing rise in cost of living is reproducing poverty in such a way that it
will be difficulty for the majority poor people of Zambia to come out of it, observes Muweme
Muweme, Coordinator of the Economic and Social Development Research Project of theJesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR).
If one looks at coping strategies -- as revealed by the Living Conditions Monitoring Survey(1998) of the Central Statistical Office (CSO) -- such as reduction in the number of meals
taken per day, reduction in the usage of household items like soap, asking from friends,
substituting ordinary meals with fruits and other non-conventional meals, etc., one finds thatthey are very indicative of creating a cycle of poverty and generally impact negatively onhouseholds' ability to move out of poverty situations in a sustainable fashion. ''Indeed,'' says
Muweme, '' these coping strategies are not in themselves sustainable, neither do they lead todecent sustenance of life.''According to recent estimates as indicated by the JCTR Basic Needs Basket, the cost ofliving for a family of six in Lusaka now stands at K825,500 up from the month of March figureof K824, 600. The cost of food only, still stands at more than K300,000. ''We can see herethat even the most basic need of human existence, adequate and nutritionally balanced food,is beyond the reach of many households,'' says Muweme.
It can also be observed that the high price of mealie meal has since the last quarter of 2001
been one of the major contributors to the rise in cost of the Basic Needs Basket. Other nonfood essentials such as cost of housing, charcoal, water, etc., are amounting to K499,200.
As the country celebrates Labour day, which falls on 1 May, it is important that as a nation
we reflect and critically look at the conditions in which labour is living. It is imperative thatlabour is taken care of because it plays a very important role in national development.
''It must be realised that the high cost of living is preventing people from effective andcomprehensive participation in national economic activities. This situation is an antithesis todevelopment,'' says Muweme.
Muweme also observes that it is important that any economic framework that is being
pursued by government does not disadvantage the people, especially the poor whom it is
supposed to serve. Instead, an economic framework must create conditions that will
enhance the dignity of the human person through guaranteeing availability of food, shelter,
medical care and basic education to people. People are the most important resource andplayers in economic activity, they are not only the means of achieving development but are
the sole purpose of achieving that development.
The JCTR, following the lead of the Church's Social Teaching, holds that ''the economy is forthe people, people are not for the economy.'' This principle should be guiding both public
and private actions in economic matters. It should make a difference in the priorities,
Muweme feels, of the current negotiations going on over KCM and what to do if AngloAmerican Corporation pulls out.
[For more information, contact Muweme Muweme, Economic and Social Development
Research Project of the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection, P.O. BOX 37774, Lusaka,
Zambia; tel: 260-1-290410; fax: 290759; e-mail: jctr@zamnet.zm; internet: www.jctr.org.zm

PRESS RELEASE

30 MAY 2002

JCTR ENCOURAGED BY GOVERNMENT DECLARATION OF A NATIONALDISASTER BUT CALLS FOR LOOKING BEYOND CURRENT SITUATION
The declaration of a national disaster by government in light of the looming hunger situationin the country offers some hope in dealing with the problem effectively. However, thesituation requires that appropriate and urgent measures are put in place to avert crisis ofhuge proportions, says the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR).
Reports that some parts of the country will run out of food as early as July are a clear
indication of the urgency of this problem. ''The current problem of hunger in Zambia might bedevastating because of the context in which it is taking place. This year's hunger situation isa result of the recent drought the country experienced as well as a carryover from theprevious year's situation of lack of adequate food,'' says Muweme Muweme, Coordinator of
the Economic and Social Development Research Project of the JCTR.
Muweme observes that ''what is needed -- within a short period of time -- is a full-fledged
proactive stance by government in addressing this problem''. While the winter maize projectmight contribute towards meeting the national shortfall, the fact that some parts of thecountry will run out of food as early as July makes it imperative to also find alternative waysof addressing the problem.
In addition, it is critical when making maize available, especially in rural communities, to lookat the question of the ability of these communities to afford buying the food in light of the poor
agricultural performance, the source of their income.
''A lot of households in Zambia have suffered prolonged hunger or inadequate food intake.
The only difference between their daily experience and the current situation is the intensity ofthe problem and the cause,'' says Muweme. Therefore, it is also important that government
goes beyond looking at the situation in its current form and look at those factors core toaccessing food by households, especially poor households. For example, it is difficult to see
how a situation of unemployment and generally low wages can enable access to adequate
food.
It is a foregone conclusion that one of the major reasons for inadequate food intake bymajority households in Zambia is the high cost of living. The JCTR Basic Needs Basket -which measures cost of living -- for a family of six for the month of May now stands at
K814,350, slightly declining by K11,150 from the month of April figure of K825,500. This
reduction can be attributed to marginal declines in the cost of mealie meal, kapenta andcharcoal. The cost of food only for May is K317,150 compared to April's figure of K326,300.
However, cost of living is still very high for many households in Zambia.
The JCTR is encouraged by government for declaring a national disaster in view of thecurrent food situation in the country. ''However,'' says Muweme, ''it will be important to seethat declaration in concrete terms through enabling households to have access to food, an
important element to human dignity.''[For more information, contact Muweme Muweme, Economic and Social Development
Research Project of the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection, P.O. BOX 37774, Lusaka,
Zambia; tel: 260-1-290410; fax: 290759; e-mail: socialjctr@zamnet.zm; jctr@zamnet.zm;
internet: www.jctr.org.zm]

PRESS RELEASE

4 JULY 2002

CONSULTATIVE GROUP MEETINGCHALLENGED BY JCTR TO LOOK AT COST OF BASIC NEEDSThe forthcoming Consultative Group meeting between Zambia and Donors is taking
place in a context of many long-standing and current socio-economic challenges that
Zambia is facing, says Muweme Muweme, Coordinator of the Economic and Social
Development Research Project of the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR).
The challenges that Zambia is facing lie in almost all sectors, education, health,agriculture, mining, manufacturing, etc. For some time now, none of these sectors has
performed well in ensuring that Zambia's development prospects notably andsustainably improve.
Indeed one of the other greatest challenges that has immense repercussions on
education, health, etc., especially at the household level, is the ever-high cost of livingthat has persisted in Zambia. According to the JCTR monthly Basic Needs Basket,
during the first six months of the current year, the cost of food only for a family of six
in Lusaka has stood at an average of K325,043.
''Such a high demand of expenditure on food,'' says Muweme, ''means that either otherbasic human needs such as health are not met or if they have to be met, food intake has
to be reduced with such consequences as poor nutritional status of household members.''
According to latest estimates of cost of living in Lusaka for the month of June,
K827,950 is the requirement for a family of six to meet such necessities as food, decent
housing and other essentials. This cost obviously is beyond reach of many households
in Lusaka. Compare this with the average take home pay of primary school teachers of
between K280,000 and K309,000 as well as other categories of workers.
The Basic Needs information as compiled by JCTR currently does not cover many partsof the country (extension of the research coverage is planned for later this year).
However, it is discouraging to hear recent news reports from the Copperbelt Provincethat the price of mealie meal has continued to go up touching close to K37,000 per
25 Kg bag of Breakfast meal.
With an already massive unemployment situation in the Copperbelt Province andfurther threats of more people getting unemployed, a rise in cost of living means a lot of
hardships on the part of the people, especially the poor and other disadvantaged groups
such as women.
It is therefore imperative that these problems facing Zambia be the context in which thediscussions of the Consultative Group meeting takes place. JCTR remains hopeful that
the Consultative Group meeting and the recently launched GRZ Poverty Reduction
Strategy Paper (PRSP) will indeed begin a realistic process of bringing an end to thesuffering of the majority Zambian people.
[For more information, contact Muweme Muweme, Economic and Social Development
Research Project of the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection, P.O. BOX 37774, Lusaka,
Zambia; tel: 260-1-290410; fax: 290759; e-mail: socialjctr@zamnet.zm; jctr@zamnet.zm;
internet: www.jctr.org.zm]

PRESS RELEASE

30 AUGUST 2002

THE WHY, WHAT AND HOW QUESTIONSABOUT THE JCTR BASIC NEEDS BASKETThe all-pervasive focus on the hunger situation in Zambia today highlights especially the
suffering of the poor. The August Basic Needs Basket of the Jesuit Centre for Theological
Reflection (JCTR) provides once again a clear picture of this suffering, says Muweme Muweme,
Coordinator of the Economic and Social Development Research Project of the JCTR.
This month’s report indicates the cost of the Basic Needs Basket is K821,800. The average
cost of food only is K324,500 (compare this with the average take home pay of secretary in the
Civil Service which ranges from K270,00 to K370,000).
The JCTR has been compiling a monthly Basic Needs Basket for a long time. Muweme says,‘’the purpose of compiling the Basic Needs Basket is to promote economic and social justicethrough advocating change in policies that inhibit attainment of sustainable and decent
livelihoods of the majority poor Zambian households.’’
Specifically, the Basic Needs Basket shows the barest minimum requirements for survival for afamily of six in Lusaka. The Basic Needs Basket does not indicate the totality of what it takes tolead humane lives. However, it highlights how far below the income of people or households fallto meet basic human needs on a monthly basis. This focus on income is premised on the factthat while people may suffer from various forms of deprivations, for example, knowledge, accessto clean water, health, etc., income deprivation tends to have wider implications in terms oflimiting people’s choices.
According to Muweme, the Basic Needs Basket is compiled in such a way as to reflect
nutritional balance for a family of six. It is composed of food items such as mealie meal, meat,
eggs, vegetables, cooking oil, sugar, dry fish, milk, etc.
In addition to the food items making-up the Basic Needs Basket, there are non-food items suchas charcoal, wash and bath soap, water, housing, etc. It is important to note that the Basic
Needs Basket does not include in its calculation the cost of health, transport, education,
personal care, etc. These costs are rather difficult to capture on a monthly basis.
Muweme further says that even in its simplest and barest compilation, the Basic Needs Basket
is below the reach of many households. The question that the Basic Needs Basket brings to thefore is thus: If it costs this much for a minimum requirement for a family of six to survive on, what
then are the cost implications for reasonable or decent living?
The JCTR believes that one of the important objectives of development is the enhancement of aquality life, manifested in having access to food, health, education and other necessities. The
Basic Needs Basket through giving us a fairly accurate and comprehensive picture of cost ofliving in Lusaka, points to how Zambia is doing along these noted dimensions of development,
observes Muweme.
[For more information, contact Muweme Muweme, Economic and Social Development
Research Project of the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection, P.O. BOX 37774,
Lusaka, Zambia; tel: 260-1-290410; e-mail: socialjctr@zamnet.zm; internet:
www.jctr.org.zm]

PRESS RELEASE

5 NOVEMBER 2002

JCTR BASIC NEEDS BASKET REPORT REVEALSAN ALL-TIME HIGH COST OF LIVING IN LUSAKA
The prevailing situation of cost of living in Lusaka today requires that a family of
six spends K836,550 to meet its basic needs, says the Economic and Social
Development Project of the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR).
According to Muweme Muweme, Coordinator of the Economic and Social
Development Research Project, “While this report is at present only referring to
Lusaka, it is important to note that cost of living may be higher in other parts ofthe country -- particularly those with serious food deficits such as southern partsof Zambia -- than what the Lusaka report indicates.”
Indeed this rise in cost of living is a reflection of the current problems of inflation,exchange rate, scarcities of food, depreciation of the Kwacha, etc., as noted
recently by the Bank of Zambia. The disconcerting part of these problems,
however, is the impact on poor people’s ability to have access to food and othernon-food essentials. The poor are having to bear most of the harshconsequences from these difficulties Zambia is currently facing.
According to the October 2002 report of the JCTR Basic Needs Basket -- ameasure of cost of living in Lusaka -- a family of six requires K836,550 to meetits needs of food, housing, water, electricity, etc. If costs of health, transport,
personal effects, etc., are added, the overall cost of the Basic Needs Basket
would definitely be much higher than the figure of K836, 550 reported.
In the face of the current problems Zambia is going through, there is need forthe country to address these problems in ways that will not lead the country intoa deeper crisis. Muweme further says that “All measures designed to deal withthe current economic difficulties of inflation, the exchange rate, etc., must take
into account impact on the poor. The measures must not hurt the poor but must
instead uplift them from their present poor living conditions.”[For more information, contact Muweme Muweme, Economic and Social
Development Research Project of the Jesuit Centre for Theological
Reflection, P.O. BOX 37774, Lusaka, Zambia; tel: 260-1-290410; e-mail:socialjctr@zamnet.zm; internet: www.jctr.org.zm]

PRESS RELEASE

2 DECEMBER 2002

MORE EFFORTS NEEDED AT ADDRESSINGZAMBIA’S IMMINENT DEEPER SOCIAL CRISIS, SAYS JCTR
Zambia has a vast potential in almost all sectors to advance the quality of life of its people.
We need not and should not be facing the current socio-economic problems of hunger, lossof value of the Kwacha, high cost of living, etc. says the Jesuit Centre for Theological
Reflection (JCTR).
These difficulties in the midst of massive potential are a reflection of a lack of priority setting
and adhering to those priorities, inadequacies in policy design, failure in programme
implementation, etc. Obviously such a situation must be addressed in more pragmatic andholistic ways. There must be change in the way we have been doing things as a country.
According to Muweme Muweme, Coordinator of the Economic and Social Development
Project of the JCTR, “What we know and have seen is obviously that these individual
problems tend to reinforce each other and this is particularly true with the current hunger
problem.”
The recently announced increase in fuel prices will make the situation even more desperate.
We know for certain the wider implications that come with a rise in the price of fuel. The costof all basic human necessities will rise. Muweme notes that “Even before the upward
adjustment of the price of fuel takes effect, we saw an increase in the prices of basic foodand non-food essentials mainly due to the loss of value of the Kwacha.”
For example, the November JCTR monthly Basic Needs Basket (measuring cost of living fora family of six in Lusaka) indicates K357,000 as minimum requirement to meet the barest ofneeds of food such as mealie meal, beans, cooking oil, sugar, etc. When you add to thiscost of food other essentials for survival such as soap, housing, energy sources, etc., thecost goes to K863,400. This is up from an October level of K836,550. The rise in the cost of
the Basic Needs Basket is mainly attributed to the rise in the price of mealie meal, charcoal,meat, etc. It is clear that in the near future, the price of mealie meal will rise even further
following the recent increase in the price of fuel and the growing shortage of maize.
Also important to note is the fact that even though the Basic Needs Basket report is only
confined to Lusaka, the cost of living, particularly in relation to mealie meal is much higher inmany other parts of the country.
Muweme states that “In a situation such as prevailing today, price increments become evenmore unbearable to the poor. Coping or survival strategies have been almost exhausted
especially in those areas that experienced low agricultural production due to drought.
Indeed, as past trends have shown, it is even more worrying to note that people will face
more survival difficulties in the coming months of December and January.”
Because of this critical situation, the JCTR expresses strong compassion for and solidarity
with the suffering people in the country. We pledge to redouble our efforts to promote a justresponse to meet their needs. We call upon all political parties, churches, NGOs,international partners, government offices and political figures to commit themselves tomeeting the crisis as their number one priority in the weeks ahead.
[For more information, contact Muweme Muweme, Economic and Social Development
Research Project of the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection, P.O. BOX 37774,
Lusaka, Zambia; tel: 260-1-290410; fax: 290759; e-mail: jctr@zamnet.zm; internet:
www.jctr.org.zm]

PRESS RELEASE

31 DECEMBER 2002

YEAR 2002 CHARACTERISED BY DISTURBING
SOCIAL CHALLENGES, OBSERVES JCTR
The last twelve months of 2002 have seen a serious deterioration in the social conditions ofmost Zambian people, says the Economic and Social Development Research Project of theJesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR).
This situation should be seen, however, as a consequence of long-standing problems
coupled with unexpected set backs such as the pull out of Anglo-American and the adverse
weather experienced in the 2001-2002 agricultural season. The most unfortunate thing
about Zambia’s socio-economic problems is that they have tended to reinforce each other inways that have made resolving them extremely difficult.
According to Muweme Muweme, Coordinator of JCTR Economic and Social Development
Research Project, “The bad situation also implies that most of the country’s economic reform
programmes – imposed by external forces such as the World Bank and IMF -- have notdelivered as anticipated.” Certainly critical in the whole mix of problems Zambia is facing has
been the severe hunger problem experienced in some parts of Zambia which led to immensepressure on the country’s food requirements. Muweme notes that food is our most importantand basic commodity, but that in recent years Zambia has consistently failed to provide
adequate food for the people.
Because of factors also associated with non-productivity of the economy – especially in themining and manufacturing sectors -- the Kwacha has been on a downward trend in its
relationship with other foreign currencies. At the start of 2002, the exchange rate wasaround K3500 to the US dollar; towards the end of the year it had depreciated to over K5000
to the dollar. “What is most unfortunate about the fluctuating Kwacha value is that
depreciation sets in motion consumer price increases,” says Muweme, “but appreciationsuch as is currently being experienced does not in fact bring any lower prices to consumers.”
The JCTR Basic Needs Basket that measures cost of living for a family of six in Lusaka
points to the fact that the cost of food, particularly mealie meal, still accounts for much of therising cost of living in Zambia. A review of trends in the cost of food for the year 2002 (shownin Figure 1) reveals that most of the sharp rises in the overall cost of food are associated withincreases in the price of mealie meal.
Figure 1
Average Cost for Food Only for a Family of Six in Lusaka, 2002
390,000
380,000
370,000

Value in Kwacha

360,000
350,000
340,000
330,000
320,000
310,000
300,000
290,000
280,000

MonthZambia recorded sharp increases in cost of living particularly during the last quarter of theyear 2002, significantly associated with the loss in value of the Kwacha and the strongpressures to meet the national requirements of maize.
For example, in January 2002 the cost of mealie meal was averaging K36,000 for 25 kg, thatof total food only (cooking oil, bread, milk, vegetables, mealie meal, eggs, beans, etc.) was
averaging K324,650, and the overall Basic Needs Basket (food and other essentials such asenergy, water, wash and bath soap, housing, etc) was K829,250. By December 2002 thecost of mealie meal was averaging K45,000, that of total food only was averaging K380,150,
and the overall Basic Needs Basket was K887,550.
Zambia has failed to meet the macro-economic targets set in the 2002 GRZ Budget (e.g., 13
percent end-year inflation, 4.3 percent growth rate, etc.). Such targets are important, eventhough in the Zambian context they usually have seen have little or no consequences for the
average person’s quality of life. According to Muweme, failure to attain the set targets is anindication that the Zambian economy in addition to having suffered a setback in agriculture
still remains unproductive, an issue that is critical to the uplifting of the living standards of thepeople. This failure also points to the fact that the government was overly ambitious insetting targets in relation to a realistic assessment of the productive base of the economy.
Politically, the country faces a situation of serious uncertainty which has bad economic
consequences. The still-pending presidential and parliamentary election petitions and therevelations of deep-seated corruption hinder the attraction of needed foreign investment.
“As we look ahead,“ notes Muweme, “it is important to recognize that sharp increase in
prices of the Basic Needs Basket in an economy presently facing multiple difficulties(unemployment, HIV/AIDS, food insecurity, etc.) excludes people from what is necessary forhuman survival as well as central for ensuring human dignity.” He adds, “It is particularly
disturbing that prices at the end of the year invariably set the tone of what is to come in thefollowing year.”At best, the socio-economic situation ahead for Zambia is deeply disturbing. Particularly
critical and difficult to predict is what will happen in the agricultural sector. This will determine
whether or not Zambia will have adequate food to meet its national requirements. Moreover,there are already reports of global increases in the price of crude oil. Moving into 2003, there
still remains the likelihood of further increases in the price of crude oil if war erupts in the
Middle East.
“As we plan for the future,” argues Muweme, “it is the social justice view of JCTR that while
the setting and attaining of macro-economic targets is important, it is equally important thatthese targets be studied and evaluated alongside quality of life indicators that measure social
outcomes in a concrete fashion.” That is why the approach of the Poverty Reduction
Strategy Paper (PRSP) and the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG)
are so very important, economically and politically, in the current situation.
For example, what is the relationship between people’s income and cost of living? How
many households have three meals per day? Where are we moving on literacy? On health?
On housing? These are the fundamental questions whose answers point accurately to thereal “workings” of a people-centred economy. For how else should any development
programmes be realistically assessed other than through such social criteria?
Although Zambia’s difficulties may seem insurmountable, they however lie on a foundation ofhope, especially when one looks at the country’s resource endowments, its enjoyment ofpeace, its people, its many potentials, etc. The JCTR hopes the year 2003 will see positivechanges in people’s lives and pledges that it will continue to work diligently for thosechanges.
[For more information, contact Muweme Muweme, Economic and Social Development
Research Project of the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection, P.O. BOX 37774, Lusaka,
Zambia; tel: 260-1-290410; fax: 290759; e-mail: socialjctr@zamnet.zm; web: www.jctr.org.zm]

PRESS RELEASE

10 FEBRUARY 2003

PEOPLE’S HARDSHIPS HIGHTENED:
BASIC NEEDS COST A MILLION, SAYS JCTR
In the midst of widespread human deprivations, cost of living for a family of six in Lusaka
shows a sharp increase beyond reach of many households leading to acute and widespread
hardships, observes the Economic and Social Development Research Project of the Jesuit
Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR).
According to the monthly basic needs report that shows cost of living in Lusaka for January
2003, a family of six now needs an average of K401,050 for food only (kapenta, beans, meat,
eggs, vegetables, milk, cooking oil, etc.) and an average total cost of K1,029,159 if nonessential food items are included.
Muweme Muweme, Coordinator of the Economic and Social Development Research Project,observes that the average cost of food only in January is an increase of K20,900 from themonth of December average cost of K380,150. The sharp increase has occurred in almost
all commodities with the exception of mealie meal which has shown some stability.
For example, the average price of 4 litres cooking oil (required as minimum for a family ofsix) has risen from K29,800 to K32,400. The cost of green vegetables has risen from K1,700
per kilogramme in December 2002 to K2,300 in January 2003. Also the average price oftomatoes has risen from K1,500 per kilogramme in December 2002 to K4,000 in January
2003.
Key to these upward price adjustments are such factors as the difficulties associated with thegrowing of vegetables (which have recorded a huge increase) during the rainy season,
specifically the need for chemical applications to prevent insect infestation. Moreover, thegeneral poor state of the economy and in particular the Kwacha has continued to record loss
in value in relationship to other currencies, reflected for example, in the rising cost of cooking
oil.
“A fundamental point to note,” says Muweme, “is that human essentials are not only confined
to food requirements.” In December 2002, the average cost of non-food essentials such as
housing, water, electricity, wash and bath soap, etc., was K507,400. In the month ofJanuary, the average cost increased by K120,700 to K628,100. A huge proportion of theincrease is coming from the cost of housing which has recorded a sharp rise. Throughout
Lusaka, rentals have been on the increase in the past few months.
If we add the average cost of food and non-food essentials, the total cost of the Basic Needs
Basket for January is K1,029,159, an increase of K141,600 from the December 2002 figureof K887,550. This indeed is beyond the reach of many households and makes the monthly
earning of K160,000 as the PAYE tax exemption threshold extremely inadequate. It alsomeans acute hardships for the households.
“Government has made efforts in this year’s national budget towards broadening the tax
base and we would like to believe that one of the fundamental aims of this measure is toensure that the tax burden is not disproportionately shared. However, one wonders how the
proposed threshold for tax exemption is consistent with this objective,” says Muweme. In
any case, by putting money in people’s pockets through a measure such as adjusting the tax
exemption threshold, government will still guarantee some revenue through the Value Added
Tax. Simply put, the more money people have, the more they will engage in somepurchases which will raise income generated from VAT for the government.
[For more information, contact Muweme Muweme, Economic and Social Development
Research Project of the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection, P.O. BOX 37774, Lusaka,
Zambia; tel: 260-1-290410; fax: 290759; e-mail: socialjctr@zamnet.zm; web: www.jctr.org.zm]

PRESS RELEASE

4 MARCH 2003

GOVERNMENT MUST RESOLVE THREATS OF
CURRENT WORK STOPPAGES JUSTLY, SAYS JCTR
The threats of work stoppages prevailing in the country today must be resolved in ways thattake care of the needs of both the employees and the employers, says the Jesuit Centre for
Theological Reflection (JCTR). “This essential two-way relationship,” says Muweme
Muweme, Coordinator of the Social Conditions Research Project of the JCTR, “has on manyoccasions in the Zambian context not been beneficial to the employees.”
The sad situation in Zambia is that not only do employees suffer from inadequate wages, butthere is also a serious absence of decent employment. Thus high levels of unemployment
are essentially a fertile ground for exploitative tendencies on the part of employers.
By and large, most employees in Zambia earn far less than what is required to meet their
daily needs. The Zambian people, especially the poor in and out of employment, arerestricted in terms of health and education, decent housing, adequate food, and other basics.
According to the latest JCTR Basic Needs Basket, the overall cost of basic needs has
increased by K6,150 from K1,029,150 for the month of January to K1,035,300 for the monthof February. The cost of non-essential food items shows an increase of K4,400 from theJanuary cost of K628,100 to K632,500. The cost of food only has increased from K401,050
for the month of January to K402,800 for the month of February. This increase is mainly due
to upward adjustments in the prices of mealie meal and cooking oil.
It must be realized that what the Basic Needs Basket highlights is not a total picture of what it
takes for decent human living. For example, personal care, transport, health, etc., are notincluded in its calculation. However, it forms a fairly accurate picture of cost of living and its
relationship to people’s incomes.
According to Muweme, it is paramount that the current negotiations taking place between
different employee unions and their respective employers be looked at in the context of therequirements for decent survival. For example, teachers’ demands for 1.5 million Kwacha
monthly salary may appear highly unrealistic. But considering that after tax, take-home pay
is only a little over 1 million Kwacha, it is clear that this salary cannot meet the most modest
demands of the Basic Needs Basket.
Core to this situation of threats of work stoppages is one fundamental experience the country
has been going through over the years, namely, deterioration in the living conditions of the
majority of Zambian people. This has been caused by prolonged economic policy failure
attributed to both local and international factors.
“As the people of Zambia move towards reviewing the Republican Constitution, it will be
critical to see that basic needs are treated as human rights. It is important for government torealize that meeting basic needs of people, especially of the poor, is not an option but animperative,” says Muweme.
[For more information, contact Muweme Muweme, Social Conditions Research Projectof the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection, P.O. BOX 37774, Lusaka, Zambia; tel:
260-1-290410; e-mail: socialjctr@zamnet.zm; internet: www.jctr.org.zm]

PRESS RELEASE

7 APRIL 2003

JCTR LINKS COST OF LIVING ISSUES WITH WAR IN IRAQThe Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR) says the monthly Basic Needs Basket
continues to show that high demands are being placed on families to meet their daily needsof food and other non-food essentials.
In the latest Basic Needs Basket report for March 2003, a family of six in Lusaka requires
K400,050 to meet its needs of food only. If other essential non-food items such as energy,
wash and bath soap, housing water, etc., are added to the cost of food, the amount goes ashigh as K1,033,750. “Indeed the cost of the Basic Needs Basket would even be much higher
if costs such as personal care, transport, clothes, health and education were added,” says
Muweme Muweme, Coordinator of the Social Conditions Research Project of the JCTR.
According to Muweme, it is encouraging to observe that the Basic Needs Basket received
significant consideration in recent salary negotiations by trade unions. “Demands byteachers for a salary of K1,500,000 are strongly justified,” states Muweme, “when one takes
into account the basic essentials that a family requires for survival.”More explicitly, the civil servants’ demands are justified because they show a relationshipbetween people’s income and cost of living, a fundamental guide for arriving at wages at
every level and type of employment. Muweme says, “It is through such an approach that we
see the imperative nature of measuring living standards by quality of life indicators such as
the number of meals a family has per day.” Therefore, the government’s settlement for lessthan what was requested by unions should be considered only as a temporary arrangement.
The government’s frequent complaint that it does not have the resources to meet theworkers’ demands must be honestly evaluated in the light of other expenses that resources
are easily found for, such as expensive travel abroad by large presidential parties, benefits
for high government officials, proposed funding of political parties, large motorcades toaccompany airport departures and arrivals, unnecessary defense spending, etc. Frankly
speaking, the real issue is not resources but priorities!
Adding to the uncertainly of the socio-economic situation in Zambia is the tragedy of the war
in Iraq. “We know very well that while Iraq is very far away geographically” says Muweme,“the consequences of the war are in fact very close to us in Zambia.” The price of oil will go
up, affecting food prices here, development assistance will be diverted, debt relief will bedelayed, and political instability will be fostered.
Going to the war without the approval of the United Nations and arguing a doctrine ofnational security that allows the United States to impose its own administration in Iraq
threatens sustainable international relations for peace and thus endangers Zambia’s future
also.
JCTR therefore joins church leaders, governments, and concerned people around the worldthat have opposed this war as unjust and immoral. It implores the United Nations to act tobring about an end to the war. JCTR takes this position because of its concerns about the
lives of people in Iraq and in Zambia.
[For more information, contact Muweme Muweme, Social Conditions Research Project of theJesuit Centre for Theological Reflection, P.O. Box 7774, Lusaka, Zambia; tel: 260-1-290410;
fax: 260-1-290759; e-mail: socialjctr@zamnet.zm; internet: www.jctr.org.zm].

JCTR PRESS RELEASE

9 MAY 2003

HOLISTIC AND DECENTRALISED APPROACHES CRITICAL TO
EFFICIENCY AND EQUITY IN HEALTH SERVICES, SAYS JCTR
Holistic and decentralized rather than sectoral and centralised approaches are key to effective
and equitable delivery of health services in Zambia, observes the Jesuit Centre for Theological
Reflection (JCTR). This is the message of a major study released by JCTR on 09 May 2003.
The study, entitled “Health Status and Health Equity: A Case Study of Zambian Households in
Selected Areas,” was commissioned by JCTR and conducted by Prof. V. Seshamani and Dr.
C. Mwikisa of the Economics Department of the University of Zambia. One of its prominentfindings is that centrality has a consequence of the inequity that emerges in terms of the
distribution of health facilities and services as well as overall development. For example,
Chongwe district, despite being in the best fairing province of Lusaka, has a higher incidenceof mortality and illness compared to Mongu, the capital of the most deprived province.
Moreover, the study established that people do not see much benefit from the health facilities
that are not adequately equipped with competent medical personnel and supplies. They wereconcerned, in particular, with the continued lack of drugs at health facilities. This forced themto use drugs whose quality they were not sure of. The situation also means that they obtained
drugs from relatives and friends or purchased from chemist shops. They are also not aware of
the right dosages of the drugs resulting often in over-consumption and consequent resistanceto drugs over a period of time.
The JCTR study also notes that if there are many sick members in a household or members
who are chronically ill, even if they are receiving treatment for which households are spending
money, it does not imply that households can afford such expenditures. Often, this expenditure
may be incurred by cutting back on food and children’s education. A household may consumeless food or pull children out of school so that the resultant savings may be used to treat sickmembers. This is a very dangerous situation arising out of the inadequate household incomescharacteristic of most households in Zambia.
“This fact is critically important,” says Muweme Muweme, Coordinator of the Social
Conditions Research Project of the JCTR “and is one of the reasons the JCTR has been
advocating for policies that enhance living conditions through ensuring that households earnadequate incomes.” The just-released April 2003 Basic Needs Basket report -- thoughconfined to Lusaka but certainly giving an idea of what is obtaining elsewhere in the country
in terms of cost of living -- continues to show high cost of living for a family of six. Currently
the cost of food for a family of six in Lusaka is K383,650. This continues to be high, despitesome reduction in the price of mealie meal because of the start of the harvest of the current
maize crop. The total Basic Needs Basket, which includes non-food items such as housing
and charcoal, was K1,030,850 for April 2003.
Sadly, the worst affected households are those headed by females, says Muweme. The study
established that gender inequity exists in respect of health status and affordability of healthcare. This study serves to reinforce the broader findings from numerous researches that genderdifferentials constitute a serious development issue that needs to be addressed. Furthermore,
the growing impoverishment of households and the incidence of orphanhood caused by deathof parents from disease, largely due to AIDS, have been generating growing numbers ofchildren dependent on other households to take care of them. This in turn leads to deteriorationin the living conditions of these latter households. The burden of supporting additionalchildren seems to be a widespread phenomenon in both rural and urban households.
RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE STUDY
Based on some the major findings highlighted above, the JCTR study on Health Equity makes
the following recommendations:x First, poverty reduction and development programmes should not be concentrated onlyin the vicinity of major towns, cities and capitals. This results in an “out of sight, out ofmind” approach to development! Programmes need to be evenly spread over the entire
country. Indeed, given the higher levels of deprivation already obtaining in the more
remote areas in the country as a whole as well as within each province and district,there is need to focus development efforts more on these areas than on those that are
already empowered to some extent in respect of various dimensions of development
such as social services, employment, infrastructure, etc.
x Second, the problem of health has to be addressed from a holistic perspective becauseof the inter-linkage of health with other elements such as food, nutrition, education, etc.
Spending to cure the illness of the sick members of the household by reducing food andnutritional intake of other healthy members, for example, would increase theprobability of the latter also falling ill and thereby warrant further future spending on
curative health. Thus the affordability of health services must be gauged not simply by
the actual spending by households on the services but in relation to the overall basic
needs of the households.
x Third, as has been suggested in other major studies cited in the JCTR report, targeting
beneficiary groups in poverty reduction programmes should use, for greater
effectiveness, “Poverty + Health, notably HIV/AIDS” as the formula to assure more
effective coverage.
x Fourth, in working out exemption mechanisms (e.g., doing away with cost-sharing in
health services), account should be taken of other variables other than monetary ones
only. Given the scarcity of resources, use of broader variables, like the ones used in thisstudy to construct socio-economic indices, will ensure that only the needy benefit fromthe well intended exemption mechanisms.
x Fifth, health programmes and more broadly poverty reduction and development
programmes must target female-headed households. The gender element is critical tooverall effective development efforts in Zambia.
According to the JCTR, if Zambia is ever to turn the corner on development – that is, moveaway from severe poverty conditions and advance toward sustainable livelihoods for all –there must be a marked improvement in the delivery of education and health services. “Nocountry develops without an educated and healthy population, states Muweme. “This position
will ever be central to JCTR..”[For more information, contact Muweme Muweme, Social Conditions Research
Project of the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection, P.O. Box 37774, Lusaka,
Zambia; tel: 260-1-290410; fax: 260-1-290759; e-mail: socialjctr@zamnet.zm;
internet: www.jctr.org.zm].

PRESS RELEASE

MAY 2003

JCTR URGES FOR “FOOD ON THE TABLE”
DISCUSSIONS TO BE AS KEY AS POLITICAL DISCUSSIONSThe Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR) has urged for an equal weight of public
discussion around politics and food. “It is obviously the case,” says Muweme Muweme,
Coordinator of the JCTR Social Conditions Research Project, “that the realm of politics has astrong bearing on national resource allocation including food.” This inevitably demonstrates
the need to pay particular attention also to economic issues surrounding people’s well being,
especially as it concerns households having access to three meals a day, a situation which ispresently lacking in Zambia.
The JCTR monthly Basic Needs Basket, a tool for the estimation of the cost of living for afamily of six in Lusaka, has once again shown that to survive or indeed to have access to
three meals per day for a family of six is the hardest thing to achieve for most households in
Lusaka and wider in Zambia, both for households with members in and out of employment.
In its composition, the Basic Needs Basket highlights average costs of food items such as
mealie meal, beans, kapenta, cooking oil, eggs, meat, vegetables, etc., and essential nonfood items such as energy, water, housing wash and bath soap, etc. For the month of May
the total cost of the Basic Needs Basket amounted to K1,028,650. There is some reductionin the overall cost of food only compared to the previous month, mainly due to the reductionin the price of mealie meal which has gone down from an average of K41,800 in April toK36,500 in May.
While the price of mealie meal -- a significant determinant in the overall cost of food only -has dropped mainly because of positive outcomes in the current agricultural season, otherfood items such as vegetables have shown either some relative stability or some increase
compared to last month.
One woman trader of vegetables at one market place in Lusaka, spoke with the JCTR and
had this to say about the price of vegetables: “It is usually the case that we experience
reductions in the price of vegetables around this time of the year, leading up to the time when
it becomes very cold. But this year has not seen any remarkable price reductions ofvegetables. Maybe when we start moving towards the hot season.” Average take-homewages continue to be much lower than the estimated needs of households, for example,
nurses take-home wages range from K461,000 to K715,000, that of teachers range from
K407,000 to K913,000.
While Zambia will experience some positive outcomes in terms of an increased crop harvest,
with the positive impact of easing the pressure of rising cost of living, the JCTR urges for a
movement from the “poverty of politics” defined in a narrower sense, to “politics of poverty”
whose centrality will be issues of human wellbeing, fundamentally food.
Any criteria of judgment of development achievements in the Zambian context must notleave out this key issue of food. “For this reason,” states Peter Henriot, Director of the JCTR,“we look today for genuine leaders of Zambia to speak more about the economic and social
issues of the survival of the people than about the political and personal issues of thesurvival of politicians!”[For more information, contact Muweme Muweme, Social Conditions Research Project of theJesuit Centre for Theological Reflection, P.O. Box 7774, Lusaka, Zambia; tel: 260-1-290410;
fax: 260-1-290759; e-mail: socialjctr@zamnet.zm; internet: www.jctr.org.zm]

PRESS RELEASE

JUNE 2003

GOVERNMENT MUST PUT HUMAN INTEREST AT THE CENTRE
OF THE CURRENT PROBLEM OF BUDGET OVERRUN, SAYS THE JCTR
What should be the guiding principles surrounding the proposals or solutions to theanticipated problem of Zambia’s national budget overrun? This is the question posed by theJesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR) in light of the current problem and debate on
the anticipated national budget overrun.
At one level it is a matter of resolving the problem in the interest of future economic
prosperity of the country. At another level, however, it is matter of ensuring that theconditions of employees, on which development attainment is predicated, are given thecritical consideration necessary for development to take place.
“The people as a means and an end to development is where the current crisis of oursituation of the national budget overrun lies,” says Muweme Muweme, Coordinator of theSocial Conditions Research Project of the JCTR. Simply put, which way should government
take? Starving its people for anticipated future economic redress or pay now what isjustifiable in light of high cost of living? While on one hand future economic prosperity is
critical, on the other hand to deny what is supposed to be paid as a wage sufficient to meethousehold needs is unjust and an antithesis to development. It is to arrive to the conclusionthat government has no money, therefore let the employee suffer various forms ofdeprivation.
There have been many years of hard sacrifice by the Zambian people as they havecontributed to the process of national economic building. However, solutions that have beenprescribed and implemented have not in fact brought substantial curative action to thecontinuously ailing economy. Prominent among the myriad constituents of the ailing
economy is cost of living. “In fact, says, Muweme, “this is where the justified demands thathave led to an upward adjustment of wages and housing allowances are coming from.”
The Basic Needs Basket, the JCTR monthly estimation of the cost of living for a family of six
in Lusaka, has, despite recording reductions in the price of mealie, consistently shown
serious difficulties that households are encountering in meeting their daily essential
requirements. The total cost of the Basic Needs Basket for the month of June stands at
K1,012,100. For May it stood at K1,028,650. The cost of food only is K365,400. In May
food only was costing K376,950. The reduction in the cost of food only is on account of thelowering price of maize because of the adequate harvest the country is experiencing thisyear.
Muweme further says that in calculating the total Basic Needs Basket, costs of transport,
clothing, health, personal care, etc., are not included. If these costs were to be included, thecost of the Basic Needs Basket would certainly be higher than what is being presented.
In calling for human considerations in dealing with the current problem of national budget
overrun, the JCTR is not advocating for consumption at the expense of production. Rather
the JCTR is placing human considerations high due to the realization that wages that enable
employees to actually experience sustainable decent living conditions actually facilitate theprocess of development. Certainly the demands of the employees for wage adjustments are
justified. The critical question thus becomes: why is government unable to meet suchjustifiable demands? If we looked critically and honestly at government expenditure patterns,
would the anticipated budget overrun be as grave as it appears or as difficult to manage as
government leaders claim?
[For more information, contact Muweme Muweme, Social Conditions Research Project of theJesuit Centre for Theological Reflection, P.O. Box 37774, Lusaka, Zambia; tel: 260-1-290410;
fax: 260-1-290759; e-mail: socialjctr@zamnet.zm; internet: www.jctr.org.zm]

PRESS RELEASE

11 AUGUST 2003

JCTR BASIC NEEDS BASKET RECORDS LOWMEALIE MEAL PRICE, OTHER FOOD ITEMS REMAIN HIGH
One of the key benefits of focusing on agriculture, especially sustainable ways ofmaize production in the Zambian context, is its positive impact on the cost of living of
all our citizens, says the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR).
This is according to the Basic Needs Basket, the JCTR monthly estimation of thecost of living for a family of six in Lusaka. Once again the Basket has recorded
some reduction in the price of mealie meal. The price of mealie meal has declined
by K3,500, moving from K30,500 for the month of June to K27,000 for the month of
July.
“While this reduction is a positive outcome, particularly in the urban setting, there
must be a balance in which such a situation is taking care of the interests of both the
producers of maize, especially the small-scale farmers, and the urban consumers,”
says Muweme Muweme, Coordinator of the Social Conditions Research Project of
the JCTR.
This reduction could be a reflection of a very low price at which the maize is being
acquired. This may be because the small-scale farmers are unable to store themaize for sale later when the price is favourable. They may also have to sell even ata lower price than the recommended “floor price” of K30,000 because of otherpressing household needs.
It is also important to acknowledge that while the price of mealie meal has gone
down, other food items such as meat, eggs, cooking oil, bread, sugar, kapenta, dry
fish, etc., have remained high, meaning that households continue to experience
serious difficulties in meeting their daily essential requirements.
The cost of food only is now K357,200. For the month of June it was K365,400. The
cost of essential non-food items such as charcoal, wash and bath soap, jelly (forexample, Vaseline), etc., is now K648,200. The cost of essential non-food items hasgone up slightly by K1,500 from the month of June figure of K646,700. Thus thetotal cost of the Basic Needs Basket (i.e., cost of food plus cost of essential non-fooditems ) for the month of July stands at K1,005,400 compared to K1,012,100 for themonth of June. “This is indeed a very slight decrease,” says Muweme.
The JCTR conducts the Basic Needs Basket survey as a way of highlighting thedaily challenges that the majority of Zambian households encounter in trying to meetdecent sustainable livelihoods. “The inability,” states Muweme, “to lead decent lives
on account of meeting food as well as non-food requirements in sufficient ways has
unfortunately been one of the most prominent failures of the Zambian society. As aconsequence, it must be taken into serious consideration during the current
contentious discussions on civil servants wages and conditions of service.”[For more information, contact Muweme Muweme, Social Conditions Research Projectof the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection, P.O. Box 37774, Lusaka, Zambia; tel:
260-1-290410;
fax:
260-1-290759;
e-mail:socialjctr@zamnet.zm;
internet:www.jctr.org.zm]

PRESS RELEASE

01 SEPTEMBER 2003

JCTR BASIC NEEDS BASKETCOSTING K1,014,500 IN THE MONTH OF AUGUSTThe Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR) compiles the Basic
Needs Basket for a family of six in Lusaka every month. This is an effort
aimed at giving a picture of the struggle confronting households inmeeting their daily essential needs. The Basic Needs Basket shows therelationship between household incomes and requirements for basic
human survival. It highlights the cost of food and essential non-fooditems.
According to estimates of the cost of the Basic Needs Basket for themonth of August, the total cost of food and essential non-food items is
K1,014,500. Food only, that is, mealie meal, beans, kapenta,
vegetables, bread, eggs, sugar, etc., is costing K367,700. The cost offood only has gone up by K10,500 from the July cost of K357,200.
Upward adjustments have been recorded in the cost of beans, meat, dry
fish, etc. The cost of mealie meal has slightly gone up from K27,000 in
July to the current figure of K27,600.
The cost of essential non-food items such as charcoal, wash and bathsoap, jelly, energy, etc., has been recorded at K646,800. The cost of
essential non-food items in July were recorded at K648,200. There has
been a slight reduction for the month of August of K1,400, on account of
a downward adjustment in the cost of charcoal. Other items such as
wash soap, jelly (e.g., vaseline) have recorded some increases.
The JCTR hopes that the recent marginal reductions in the cost of fuel(petrol and diesel) will have some positive influence in the overall cost ofliving in the coming weeks.

[For more information, contact Muweme Muweme, Social Conditions Research
Project of the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection, P.O. Box 37774,
Lusaka,Zambia;tel:
260-1-290410;
fax:
260-1-290759;
e-mail:socialjctr@zamnet.zm; internet: www.jctr.org.zm]

PRESS RELEASE

08 OCTOBER 2003

POLITICS OF IMPROVING THE ECONOMY KEY TO FINDING
SOLUTIONS TO ZAMBIA’S PROBLEMS, SAYS THE JCTR
Zambia’s need for a strategic and effective focus on its economy remains at all times highly
critical. “This focus on the economy is one that must not be in proclamation only. It should
translate into actions that will lead to improved living conditions by the majority of Zambian
people through having access to employment, adequate and nutritionally balanced foodintake, quality education and health care, employment, etc.” says Muweme Muweme,
Coordinator of the Social Conditions Research Project of the Jesuit Centre for Theological
Reflection (JCTR).
The longstanding need for focus on the national economy and improving standards of living
among the Zambian people should also be seen as a political issue that every politician
should be challenged to address beyond daily rhetorical statements that the Zambian people
have been subjected to.
The people of Zambia have faced a lot of challenges, among them the ever rising cost ofliving that mean always inadequate food intake, lack of access to quality health care andeducation. The Basic Needs Basket that shows the cost for fundamental survival for a familyof six in Lusaka has again revealed the magnitude of the challenges faced by the Zambian
people. In the month of September, the Basket has recorded increases, among others, inthe prices of meat, dry fish, kapenta, beans and eggs.
According to one Lusaka meat trader, “The price of meat has gone up because of reduced
supply of the product to the market. This is because there has been no pressure amonghouseholds that own cattle to sell some of their cattle in order to meet other foodrequirements such as maize, as is usually the case during seasons of poor agricultural
production. This has resulted in reduced supply of meat leading to price increases in thecommodity in urban areas.”
Food only is now costing K384,450. In the month of August, food only was costing
K367,700. There has been an upward adjustment of K16,750. The total cost of the Basic
Needs Basket, that is, food and non-food essential items such as energy, water, housing,electricity, wash and bath soap, etc., for the month of September is K1,027,450. This figure
represents an increase of K12,950 from the August figure of K1,014,500. The Basic Needs
Basket does not include costs for other necessary requirements such as personal care,transport, health, education, etc.
It is true that what people can effectively achieve in national development is influenced byenabling conditions of good health, access to quality education, creation of economic
opportunities, etc. All these elements, as already observed, are unfortunately strikingly
lacking in Zambia. “It is also true that Zambia is in greater need of a culture of initiatives orcreativity. For such a situation to be achieved, it is critical that people are released from theincessant daily preoccupations of meeting basic needs,” says Muweme.
It is JCTR’s hope that in the months to come, as the Republican President has indicated, thenation will move towards more explicit focus on social economic issues that will lead to theimprovement of people’s lives in Zambia.
[For more information, contact Muweme Muweme, Social Conditions Research Projectof the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection, P.O. Box 37774, Lusaka, Zambia; tel:
260-1-290410;
fax:
260-1-290759;
e-mail:internet:socialjctr@zamnet.zm;
www.jctr.org.zm]

PRESS RELEASE

03 NOVEMBER 2003

THE JCTR OBSERVES THAT REALISTIC ECONOMIC
PROJECTIONS VITAL TO EFFECTIVE NATIONAL PLANNING
A wide consultative national budget formulation is critical to national development as citizens’ desires
and aspirations of how, where and what their money is going to be spent on are likely to be
represented, says the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR).
“As the nation proceeds with its new plans of formulating the national budget under the Medium Term
Expenditure Framework (MTEF), two issues to this important event need to be highlighted,” says
Muweme Muweme, Coordinator of the Social Conditions Research Project of the JCTR. “First is thatconcerning the process of arriving at a national budget that is participative in character. Second is
the content of the budget itself.”
So far the process seems to be commendable as it represents government’s effort at meeting theneeds of its people in national budget formulation. One of the difficulties, however, is the content
issue of actual realization of the economic targets or projections. Zambia has had to revise its
economic targets in the past. This means either that the nation did not work hard enough to achieve
the set targets or the projections were not realistic in relation to Zambia’s situations.
The government’s “Green Paper” outlining the MTEF projects, among other things , that the economy
will grow by 4.5% in 2004 and 5.0% in 2005 and 2006. Year-end inflation will be reduced to a single
digit of 6.5% in 2006. It is also expected that there will be (nominal) increases in domestic revenues.
The growth of the Zambian economy is predicated on agriculture, manufacturing, tourism, mining,energy, construction and transport. Mining is thought to contribute to growth through the expectedfavourable prices of copper, especially as Zambia will increase its output of copper following the
opening up of new mines. “This assumption,” says Muweme, “of anticipated rise in prices of copperon the world market is one of the key contributing factors to Zambia’s current debt crisis. One hopesthat the nation’s preoccupation with copper mining will not divert focus on current efforts atdiversifying Zambia’s economy, especially the priority sector of agriculture.”
Inflation has been one of the major problems of our country, affecting commercial bank lending
interests, affecting planning at various levels and particularly hurting the poor most. Addressing
inflation would also lessen hardships that the majority poor people of Zambia face. Muweme further
says that the continuous rise in the prices of food has been one of the fundamental problems ofinflation.
For example, the JCTR monthly Basic Needs Basket for a family of six in Lusaka has shown
increases almost every month in the price of food. The cost of food only for a family of six is currently
at K390,700. In September food only was costing K384,450 and in August it was K367,700. Trends
in the previous years have also shown that prices of food tend to rise towards the end of the year.
This means that not only are the poor suffering from other forms of deprivations but are having
difficulties in accessing the most fundamental aspect of their welfare, good food for good nutrition.
The total cost of the Basic Needs Basket, that is, food and non-food essential items such as energy,
water, housing, electricity, wash and bath soap, etc., has increased from K1,027,450 in September topresently costing K1,031,700. This shows an increase of K4,250. Note that costs for othernecessary requirements such as personal care, transport, health, education, etc., are not included in
the calculation of the total Basic Needs Basket.
The JCTR views the current process surrounding the MTEF as critical to national development andone that has been long overdue. But more critical is to have realistic economic projections that leadto effective planning.
[For more information, contact Muweme Muweme, Social Conditions Research Project of theJesuit Centre for Theological Reflection, P.O. Box 37774, Lusaka, Zambia; tel: 260-1-290410;
fax: 260-1-290759; e-mail: socialjctr@zamnet.zm; internet: www.jctr.org.zm]

PRESS RELEASE

05 DECEMBER 2003

DEBATE ON THE MODE OF ADOPTING THE CONSTITUTIONSHOULD NOT BE SUBJECTED TO A TRADEOFF, SAYS JCTR
The current debate on the mode of adopting the Zambian constitution should not findexpression in a tradeoff between meeting people’s needs such as health and education
on one hand and the holding of a Constituent Assembly on the other, observes the Jesuit
Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR).
According to the JCTR, subjecting such a debate along such tradeoffs is an indicationof a lack of a deeper understanding of the link between a good constitution with theconsequence of good governance and people’s wellbeing manifest in their ability tomeet basic needs of life.
Currently, the cost of basic needs measured in the JCTR monthly Basket of food andessential non-food items is K1,032,800. For the month of October, the cost of basic
needs was K1,031,700. Food alone is currently costing K383,800. For the month ofOctober food alone was costing K390,700. The downward adjustment in the cost offood only is partly on account of a reduction in the price of mealie meal.
However, the cost of essential non-food items has increased mainly because of an
upward adjustment in the price of charcoal, now costing K26,000 from K22,000 in themonth of October. The price of charcoal is expected to increase further because of therainy season which make both production and transportation of charcoal difficult.
Undoubtedly Zambia’s harsh socio-economic situation brings into sharper focus theobvious question of “What should come first, paying attention to the current poverty
and misery or addressing the need for a constituent assembly which might lead toguaranteeing people’s political and probably economic freedoms?”
It is not a point of contention that a good constitution will give people the opportunity
to strongly demand certain needs such as education and health and how these needs
should be met. In other words, a good “people’s constitution” (which will surely
depend on a Constituent Assembly) will give people the ability to make claims for
improving their lives.
It is the difficult economic circumstances which Zambia is facing that are leading toencouraging a tradeoff between meeting people’s basic needs and holding a Constituent
Assembly. What is important to realize however, is that without a good constitution,
the prospect of people experiencing improved living conditions become minimal,
especially in crisis situations. The JCTR feels that if budgetary tradeoffs are necessary
to fund a Constituent Assembly, cutbacks should not be made in essential social
services but in non-essential superfluities such as new vehicles, overseas travels, byelections, etc.
[For more information, contact Muweme Muweme, Social Conditions Research Project of theJesuit Centre for Theological Reflection, P.O. Box 37774, Lusaka, Zambia; tel: 260-1-290410;
fax: 260-1-290759; e-mail: socialjctr@zamnet.zm; internet: www.jctr.org.zm]

PRESS RELEASE

08 JANUARY 2004

A MIX OF A RAY OF HOPE AND SOME SETBACKS:THE ZAMBIAN PEOPLE’S EXPERIENCES IN 2003
A mix of a ray of hope and some setbacks characterized experiences of the Zambian people
in 2003, observes the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR). The year 2003
witnessed some improvement in the agricultural sector which resulted in adequate foodproduction for the Zambian people. However, other sectors of the economy experienced
problems, to mention in particular the education sector on which the formation of humancapital, the breaking of the cycle of poverty and development are dependent on.
According to Muweme Muweme, Coordinator of the Social Conditions Research Project of
the JCTR, the positive and encouraging outcomes such as comparatively low inflation levels,
some relative stability in the price of mealie meal, lessening of loss of value of the Kwacha,etc., associated with the positive outcome in the agricultural sector, prove JCTR’s incessantcall on government over the years to be involved in the agricultural sector and also to put theagricultural sector as one of the priority sectors of the Zambian economy. It is important,however, to note that food production is one thing and having access to the produced foodanother.
The JCTR through its monthly Basic Needs Basket report (a measure of the cost of living fora family of six in Lusaka) has over the years shown heightened hardships occasioned byprice increases in food and essential non-food items necessary for decent human survival.
Muweme says that “One of the strengths of an approach such as the Basic Needs Basket isthat it highlights the extent of the challenge faced by the people in meeting a minimum
standard of living.”
A review of the Basic Needs Basket for the year 2003 shows that the cost of food alone
averaged K401,050 in January and 401,800 in December. These were the highest costs infood alone recorded in 2003. It is important to observe that over the years mealie meal has
had a significant influence on the overall cost of food. Overall, the same can be said about
2003. However, for 2003 this influence heavily occurred in the first half and part of thesecond half (July). During the last half, other food items such as meat and fish, andespecially green vegetables in the month of December, recorded significant increases which
had a bearing on the overall cost of food. It is also important to note that there was aremarkable decline in the cost of food during the beginning of the second half (July) of theyear with some increases beginning to occur in the last quarter, followed by some decline in
November. (see figure below)
FigureJCTR Basic Needs Basket : Cost of food, 2003
410,000

390,000
380,000
370,000
360,000
350,000
340,000

be

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be

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em
D

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be

ov
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O

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m

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ob

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Month

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y

Au

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e
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ay

il
Ap
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h
M
ar
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a

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330,000

Ja

Value in Kwacha

400,000

Another significant feature associated with the year 2003 were the strike actions. “The strikeactions, particularly with regard to teachers,” says Muweme, “ have a direct serious impact
on the quality of education and loss of opportunities for the prospect of a better life for manyof our young people.” This is where it becomes extremely important to ensure that strikeactions are avoided through meeting demands such as employee morale, overall conditionsof living, etc., that have a direct bearing on the quality of learning.
“Moreover, if we honestly and objectively look at the reasons for most of the strike actions,be they by teachers or health workers, doesn’t it occur to us that the reasons for such actions
are usually core to ensuring quality delivery of service and the promotion of poverty
reduction?” asks Muweme.
As we begin the year 2004, a few points are critical in relationship with the above
observations and most importantly the current debate concerning national “sacrifice” in order
to meet Zambia’s development aspirations.
x

x

x
x

x

x

Through the IMF and World Bank, developed countries have managed to put in place a“do as I say approach and not as I do” (e.g., on subsidies relating to agriculture, extent oftrade liberalization, etc.) with regard to development strategy. Muweme further says that“the current beneficial outcomes of the agricultural sector are as a result of government
involvement in the agricultural sector, a policy position which is generally inconsistent withWorld Bank and IMF propositions.” Therefore, it is hoped that sacrifice will not mean
government rollback in its current strategic involvement with agriculture.
It is also important to recognize that there must be beneficial outcomes to the people,
especially the poor, in the national “sacrifice” being talked about and not just mere
meeting of World Bank and IMF aspirations. In that regard, it is hoped that the sacrifice
will mean for the first time moving more resource allocation obtained through cuts from
non-priority areas such as the already much talked about expensive travel, unnecessary
by-elections, excessive cabinet and district administrators, etc., to improving quality ofeducation and health.
As a nation, Zambia must strive to build a society where its people not only manage tomeet basic needs for decent living but are able to make savings from whatever economic
activities they engage in. Savings are the building blocks for the future.
Instead of talking about increasing taxes in 2003, it is important that government talks
more about strategies for employment creation. Anywhere in the world, one observes
that the question of employment is not only an economic issue but it is also hugely apolitical issue. The current employment, industry and the general economic situation in
Zambia poses serious future limitations on the extent to which government will be able tomobilize resources through taxes for development.
Related to the above is also the need for government to develop an industrial strategy.
Without an industrial strategy it is difficult to see how this nation can realize such results
as creation of employment, competitiveness in trade, etc. In fact, we must realize that
trade comes with development and likewise the much desired and sought after foreign
investment.
The international community should exercise greater flexibility with its conditionalities,
particularly those which relate to reaching the HIPC completion point. In any case, aren’tsome of the reasons for Zambia’s failure to reach the HIPC completion inherently criticalto poverty reduction?

Muweme says that as we begin the year 2004 with words of serious national “sacrifice”, it isalways important to remember that, “measures taken during this course of ‘sacrifice’ should
not add disproportionate suffering to the already most vulnerable in our society.” “Sacrifice”
should also mean increased allocations to education and health to give some hope to thiscountry.
[For more information, contact Muweme Muweme, Social Conditions Research Project of theJesuit Centre for Theological Reflection, P.O. Box 37774, Lusaka, Zambia; tel: 260-1-290410;
fax: 260-1-290759; e-mail: socialjctr@zamnet.zm; internet: www.jctr.org.zm]

PRESS RELEASE

4 MARCH 2004

A VALUE AND ETHICAL FRAMEWORK CRITICAL TO
DESIGNING DEVELOPMENT POLICIES, SAYS THE JCTR
Development policies, strategies, etc., should at all times be central to the humanity
question and must be cognizant of the fact that humanity is an end and a means toachieving that development. Critically this means that there must always be a value andethical framework to policy formulation and evaluation. This observation is made by
the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR) in the light of Zambia’s continued
experience of poor living conditions and current efforts at improving people’s lives.
According to the JCTR monthly Basic Needs Basket report for Lusaka, the cost of foodand other essential non-food items such as decent housing, water, wash and bath soap,
energy, etc., for the month of February is K1,078,750. For the month of January it was
K1,065,900. This cost of basic needs means that a decent standard of living is beyond
the majority of households in Zambia.
“If at all both successive Governments of the Republic of Zambia and its cooperating
partners have over the years assumed an approach of a value and ethical framework,
would Zambia’s development misfortunes be to the way they are?” Asks Muweme
Muweme, Coordinator of the Social Conditions Research Project of the JCTR.
To use a value and ethical framework would mean being compelled not to accept thestatus quo where most of the people, especially the poor are denied access to a decent
standard of living. This obviously has direct and serious political implications today,
for example, in the negotiations over the elusive “HIPC completion point.”
Both national governments and the international community have over the years set
targets of uplifting people’s welfare but those targets have by no means been achieved.
According to Muweme, “It must be recognized that development, understood as the
progression of people from less human conditions to more human conditions, cannot
and should not be delayed. A delay in development means lack of food, increases in theincidence of HIV/AIDS, lack of access to health and education, and generally
unacceptable suffering of the people. To delay development is not to value people’s
lives and to destroy the prospects for a peaceful future of the country.”“Two critical questions become paramount in this context,” says Muweme, “ to thoseplanning the development of Zambia and other countries in similar situation. The firstone is, what value framework are they employing in determining development policy
choices? Are we evaluating the past several years of development failures on the basisof human considerations?”[For more information, contact Muweme Muweme, Social Conditions Research
Project of the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection, P.O. Box 37774, Lusaka,
Zambia; tel: 260-1-290410; fax: 260-1-290759; e-mail: socialjctr@zamnet.zm;
internet: www.jctr.org.zm]

PRESS RELEASE

7 APRIL 2004

JCTR BASKET COVERAGE EXPANDED TO INCLUDE
LIVINGSTONE, KABWE, NDOLA, LUANSHYA AND KITWE
The Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR) has expanded its area of coverage of the Basic
Needs Basket from Lusaka to other areas. The areas to which the Basic Needs Basket has been
expanded to are Livingstone, Kabwe, Ndola, Kitwe and Luanshya.
“This expansion,” says Muweme Muweme, Coordinator of the Social Conditions Research Project of
the JCTR, “ was necessitated by the Basic Needs Basket’s intrinsic value and the demand from thepeople”. There have been several requests for the Basket information from other towns in Zambia
and the JCTR could not give the same information of Lusaka to other parts of the country because
price data vary depending on many factors.
The expansion follows the feasibility study conducted in 2003 by the JCTR which recommended thatthe Basket, in the initial phase, be taken to places that have similar characteristics to Lusaka. Thismeans that it assumes the same composition of food and non-food essentials as that of Lusaka.
According to Muweme, it is the belief of the JCTR that an expanded Basic Needs Basket will be bothmore representative of the national urban situation of cost of living and more authoritative in respect
to discussions on cost of living. As is usually the case with initial efforts, it is expected that there will
be more improvements along the way on the collection and accuracy of the information.
A comparative analysis of Luanshya and Lusaka for the month of March reveals that the cost of foodalone in Luanshya is higher than in Lusaka. In Lusaka food alone was costing K418,550. In
Luanshya it was recorded at K447,100. An analysis done during the feasibility study that informed
the expansion of the Basket also revealed Luanshya as the town with a higher cost of food compared
to Livingstone, Kabwe, Ndola, and Kitwe. This indeed is a disturbing situation as households facing
difficult socioeconomic situations due to low economic activity are at the same time experiencing ahigher cost of food. High cost of food has serious health and education implications. It means,among other things, susceptibility to illness, children who are malnourished and who fail toconcentrate at school.
In the previous months of January and February, the average cost of mealie meal was highest for
Livingstone at K33,500 followed by Luanshya at K32,800. Kitwe recorded the price at K32,150,
Ndola at K31,600 and Lusaka at K29,450.
According to Muweme, it must be understood that the Basket is not compiled to be merely a statistical
exercise, but a basis for responding to the need for improving lives of the Zambian people,
particularly the poor whose composition is by and large women. Its application therefore is by nomeans restricted to those in formal employment, especially that 80 percent of the Zambian population
is living in poverty.
It must also be recognized that high cost of living is an outcome of many problematic situations
relating to the wider “workings” of the economy. As such the Basket must also be seen as a basis forentry into exploring socioeconomic policies that will benefit the people through ensuring that they
have adequate food, quality health care and education, etc.
Unfortunately, Zambia’s development efforts have not given priority attention to the needs of the poor.
It is JCTR’s strong proposition that as Zambia negotiates a new Poverty Reduction and Growth
Facility (PRGF) with the IMF, both government and the IMF assessment teams should assess
Zambia’s qualification within the context of the needs of the majority poor Zambian people. “How
else,” asks Muweme, “is Zambia going to effectively and equitably develop without paying attention to
the needs of its people?”[For more information, contact Muweme Muweme, Social Conditions Research Project of theJesuit Centre for Theological Reflection, P.O. Box 37774, Lusaka, Zambia; tel: 260-1-290410;
fax: 260-1-290759; e-mail: socialjctr@zamnet.zm; internet: www.jctr.org.zm]

PRESS RELEASE

3 MAY 2004

NUTRITION SHOULD BE CENTRAL TO AIDSTREATMENT DISCUSSIONS, SAYS THE JCTR
At no time has a holistic approach to health delivery been more critical than in our current
predicament of HIV/AIDS, says the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR).
Particularly important in ensuring effective AIDS treatment is good nutrition at household
level.
To achieve good nutrition at household level, which will also have some positive impact on
the prevailing overstretched health delivery system, requires adequate household incomes.
“As it is well known,” says Muweme Muweme, Coordinator of the Social Conditions Research
Project of the JCTR, “effective health delivery does not start and end with hospitalization orvisitations to health centres. It is a whole ‘array’ involving the kind of living conditions people
experience.”
The above premise of a holistic approach held by the JCTR has been one of the reasons for
the JCTR’s constant calls for adequate household incomes, particularly in light of the everrising cost of living in Zambia. This cost is clearly shown in the monthly Basic Needs Basket.
For example, in Lusaka at present a family of six needs to spend K450,850 on food alone.
This has gone up by K16,850 from the cost in March of K434,000. If other costs such as
housing, water, energy, etc., are included the cost is K1,110,150. It is obviously the casethat in Zambia today, the majority of households spend a huge percentage of their income on
food. However, this does not by any means imply good nutrition and adequate food intake.
It is an expenditure confined only to mere survival.
Muweme further says that inadequate incomes have placed a disproportionate burden on
women who, in addition to being household managers and in some cases income or foodproviders, are the majority caregivers in the context of the present day home-based caresystem. But critically important in relationship to AIDS treatment of a lack of an adequate
household income is the denial of a good home psychological environment necessary for the
support and encouragement to AIDS patients.
To achieve effectiveness in the treatment of AIDS, government should be in the forefront ofpromoting healthy life styles that will involve people having access to education, nutrition,
shelter and all the requirements that make up the totality of healthy living. Without such asituation in place, Zambia will continue experiencing an overstretched health delivery systemand the problem of HIV/AIDS will seem insurmountable.
Muweme also says that as the treatment of AIDS is being promoted through a programme of
distribution of a cocktail of drugs commonly known as ARVs, it is important, as a matter ofpolicy, that such a programme moves alongside a mechanism of ensuring that those
suffering from AIDS have access to good nutrition. In the long-term, the aim should be thatof general improvement of nutrition among all the Zambian households.
[For more information, contact Muweme Muweme, Social Conditions Research Projectof the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection, P.O. Box 37774, Lusaka, Zambia; tel:internet:
260-1-290410;
fax:
260-1-290759;
e-mail:socialjctr@zamnet.zm;
www.jctr.org.zm]

PRESS RELEASE

3 JUNE 2004

JCTR SAYS COMMITMENTIS CENTRAL TO UPLIFTING PEOPLE’S LIVES
Zambia’s socioeconomic challenges such as malnutrition at household level with its various
manifestations in children, HIV/AIDS, inadequate health care and quality of education,
unemployment, inadequate household incomes, etc., require efforts beyond just having wellenunciated plans, observes the JCTR.
“Of prime importance in addition to resource prioritization,” says Muweme Muweme,
Coordinator of the Social Conditions Research Project of the JCTR, “is strong commitment
by leaders at different levels to addressing Zambia’s problems. Lack of strong commitment
has unfortunately been characteristic in dealing with Zambia’s problems.
The failure to achieve development targets that have been set incessantly in recent decades
can by and large be explained by a lack of strong commitment to translate plans into realaction to change the lives of the majority poor people. Time and again meetings are held atboth local and international levels to look at the plight of the poor. But rarely do thesemeetings result into tangible benefits for the poor. “For how long will the poor wait before
experiencing positive change in their lives?”, asks Muweme.
The JCTR Basic Needs Basket has continued to show the socioeconomic difficulties
households face in Zambia through highlighting the cost of basic needs in relationship to
people’s incomes. For example, for the month of May, while recording some marginal
reductions in the price of mealie meal from an average cost of K30,000 in April to the current
cost of K29,000, the overall cost of food alone of K456,400 remains very high for many
households in Zambia. This is especially true taking into account that households have tomeet other costs such as education, health, transport, etc.
According to Muweme, this state of affairs is unacceptable and needs to change so that wemove to addressing human problems, especially on the basis of the inherent dignity of every
human being. It is necessary therefore that every leader at different levels, both local andinternational, should move with a spirit of strong commitment to change the situations of thepoor.
The Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP), Zambia’s current road map to uplifting thepoor, and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) set for 2015 (e.g., reducing by half the
proportion of people living on less than a dollar a day, ensuring that all boys and girls
complete a full course of primary schooling) should be viewed as very critical challenges toZambia from the moral, economic, political and social points view. Following theseguidelines requires strong commitment, seen in priorities, sacrifice and seriousness.
JCTR believes that without strong commitment and the realization of the inherent dignity of
the human person as basis for development efforts, there will always be less to be achievedin uplifting the conditions of the people, especially the poor whose composition is largely
women.
“As a nation, it is long over due that we have a foundation of committing ourselves toaddressing the difficulties Zambia is facing,” says Muweme.
[For more information, contact Muweme Muweme, Social Conditions Research Projectof the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection, P.O. Box 37774, Lusaka, Zambia; tel:internet:
260-1-290410;
fax:
260-1-290759;
e-mail:socialjctr@zamnet.zm;
www.jctr.org.zm]

PRESS RELEASE

12 JULY 2004

BASIC NEEDS BASKET REVEALSTHAT LUANSHYA IS HIGH COST OF LIVING AREA
People of Luanshya are experiencing one of the highest cost of living among urban areas inZambia. This is according to recent Basic Needs Basket information collected from
Luanshya by the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR). An analysis of theinformation has shown that the cost of food alone during the last three months has
consistently been higher in Luanshya than Lusaka, Ndola, Kabwe, Livingstone and Kitwe.
According to Muweme Muweme, Coordinator of the Social Conditions Research Project of
the JCTR, the cost of food alone for the months of April, May and June averaged K462,700
for Luanshya compared to the average cost of K456,300 for Lusaka.
The fact that Luanshya has revealed higher cost of living than the other urban areas does not
imply that cost of living is affordable in the other areas. What it simply means is thathouseholds in Luanshya are experiencing more difficulties in meeting their basic
requirements, particularly food than those in other urban areas. “The prevailing high cost ofliving in Luanshya,” says Muweme, “is mainly on account of relatively high prices of mealie
meal, bread, tomato, onion, cooking oil, etc.”“Unless fundamental changes occur in the way Zambia manages its social, political andeconomic affairs,” says Muweme “it appears the Zambian people for many years to come,and even for the whole of their life-times, will be unable to meet the most basic of humanrequirements such as food, decent shelter, access to quality health care and education, etc.”
Certainly a number of reasons account for this situation. The reasons have included thelongstanding problem of a governance system that does not set and maintain priorities in theface of inadequate resources. The governance system of Zambia and most of Africa has
also failed to galvanize, especially in the present time, a national mood of patriotism towards
a work ethic that is critical to moving this nation forward and hold promise, especially for thechildren and women of Zambia.
“Little wonder,” says Muweme, “Zambia and most of Africa continue to find it extremely
difficult in addressing problems of the huge external debt and imbalances in the global social,political and economic governance.”
It is true to say that Zambia and most of Africa have had plans, in some cases well thought
out plans, to address the problems of the people. For example, Zambia has had a series ofnational plans from the time of independence and now has a Poverty Reduction Strategy
Paper (PRSP). However, these plans have most of the time suffered the fate of lack ofeffective implementation.
Investment in human beings should remain an all-time high priority area for the Zambian
government. “The failure of households to meet their basic needs is in itself an indication oflack of investment in human beings,” says Muweme.
According to the JCTR, two ways that Zambian citizens can respond to the economic
challenges facing the country are:
1. Give input into the preparation of budget 2005 as requested by Finance Minister
Ng’andu Magande, to ensure that effective priority is given to meeting human needs;
2. Push politicians currently fighting each other over minor personal issues to pay
attention to larger socio-economic issues affecting the livelihoods of all.
[For more information, contact Muweme Muweme, Social Conditions Research Project of theJesuit Centre for Theological Reflection, P. O. Box 37774, Lusaka, Zambia; tel: 260-1-290410;
fax: 260-1-290759; e-mail socialjctr@zamnet.zm; internet: www.jctr.org.zm]

PRESS RELEASE

28 JULY 2004

SITUATION OF PENSIONERS,FUEL PRICE INCREASE WORRY JCTR
The Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR) wishes to express serious concern
about the situation of pensioners and increases in the price of petrol and kerosene in the
country.
Firstly, reports that about 90,000 pensioners are to lose what is rightly theirs for whateverreasons is highly objectionable. According to Muweme Muweme, Coordinator of theSocial Conditions Research Project of the JCTR, “this situation epitomizes one of thehighest levels of injustice that violates the right to a pension and to insurance for old age.
Sadly in Zambia for a long time now, the situation of pensioners is one that raises serious
moral and ethical questions. It is often the case that pensioners go through a lot of very
difficult situations such as having nowhere to sleep when following their payments,
unnecessary bureaucracy, etc., before they are given what rightly belongs to them.
The most unfortunate thing about all this is that it is taking place in a context, first, of many
hardships with high cost of living prominent among them, and second, where a large
amount of money is to be given to MPs for gratuity. This indeed appears to be unfair
taking into account that pensioners have been waiting for months (years) and now aregoing to be further discriminated against.
Moreover, the long period of waiting before obtaining their money means that inflation
erodes the value of the money. “Government must realize that”, says Muweme, “towithhold someone’s entitlement of pension is a grave injustice that denies those involved
an opportunity to a dignified livelihood.”“In Zambia today, many workers are accepting harder working conditions against their will
because of the prevailing economic situation of high unemployment levels. But forgovernment to fail for whatever reasons to pay pension entitlements to retirees is simply
unacceptable,” says Muweme.
One may ask, what kind of a society we are that can allow such situations to occur? Do
we really care about each other? It is important that government takes the lead and show
exemplary behaviour in caring for the workers during the time they are actively engaged in
employment, but more importantly government must take care of those retiring by paying
them promptly their benefits.
The JCTR further says that the current situation of pensioners is reminiscent of the eras ofslavery and colonialism, where there was an absence of a social conscience by certain
sections of society to get troubled of the injustice committed to fellow human beings.
Increases in the price of petrol undoubtedly hurt the national economy in various ways, but
it is those on the lower ladder of our society, the poor that will feel the greatest impact.
Indeed our socioeconomic situations in the country demand some strong moral andethical approaches to redressing them. Zambia should strive to build a political, economic
and social order that will place the well being of human beings above anything else.
Without such a moral and ethical approach even today’s fight against poverty and thestruggle for the attainment of Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) will be very difficult torealize. Do we sometimes wonder why we have so many children on the streets beyond
the HIV/AIDS problem?
[For more information, contact Muweme Muweme, Social Conditions Research
Project of the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection, P.O. BOX 37774, Lusaka,
Zambia; tel: 260-1-290410; e-mail: socialjctr@zamnet.zm; internet: www.jctr.org.zm]

PRESS RELEASE

03 SEPTEMBER 2004

COST OF BASIC NEEDS SHOW A MIXED PICTURE IN
THE FACE OF “EXTERNAL SHOCKS”, SAYS JCTR
The Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR) says that there has not been somesignificant change this far in prices of food as might have been expected in the face ofhigh global fuel prices. This is primarily due to the good agricultural production the
country is experiencing.
This observation from the JCTR, says Muweme Muweme, Coordinator of the Social
Conditions Research Project of the JCTR, is based on the monthly Basic Needs Basket
information. The Basic Needs Basket is a simple compilation of the average cost ofordinary food -- such as mealie meal, meat, fresh vegetables, etc., and non-food items
such as housing, water, energy, etc. -- designed to relate the cost of living on one handand incomes of households on the other.
In the month of August, the Basic Needs Basket – now at K1,100,200 compared toK1,105,100 for the month of July -- has presented a mixed picture in the cost of food.
While the cost of mealie meal, vegetables, tomatoes, onions and kapenta has declined,that of meat has slightly adjusted upwards. Food items such as eggs, tea, milk, sugar anddry fish have shown some stability.
“This situation,” says Muweme, “can be attributed to good agricultural performance in thecurrent year that has been able to guard against to some degree the internationallyinduced national economic shocks such as the recent crude oil price increases.”
According to Muweme, without good agricultural output, the impact of the increases in theprice of crude oil would have been enormous.
For countries like Zambia, it is important to acknowledge conventional wisdom that a well
performing agricultural sector means a lot of things. For example, and most importantly, itmeans affordability of food at household level. It also means the easing of pressure toimport food and where there is some surplus and well coordinated arrangements at buying
the agricultural produce, it means exporting food to other countries, to secure the muchtalked about and needed foreign exchange.
According to the JCTR, to enhance people’s access to food is not only a matter predicatedon food production alone. In Zambia today, households lack access to adequate foodbecause of many factors, such as being out of employment and the realignment ofhousehold budgets to take care of the needs of HIV/AIDs treatment.
It is the view of the JCTR, that Zambia’s focus -- in addition to directing its efforts at total
external debt cancellation to give the country a new start -- should be on the sectors thatform the bedrock of human welfare. These include agriculture, education and health, andemployment creation.
More importantly too is that some of the benefits the country is witnessing in relationshipto agriculture are because of government’s intervention in the agricultural sector withrespect to timely input supply, market access, etc., says Muweme.
[For more information, contact Muweme Muweme, Social Conditions Research
Project of the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection, P.O. BOX 37774, Lusaka,
Zambia; tel: 260-1-290410; e-mail: socialjctr@zamnet.zm; internet: www.jctr.org.zm]

PRESS RELEASE

04 NOVEMBER 2004

“YES, COST OF LIVING MAJOR PROBLEM AMONG HOUSEHOLDSAND NEEDS VERY SERIOUS ATTENTION”, SAYS JCTRHigh cost of living has continued to be a major problem being experienced by many
households in Zambia. This obviously means that as government and the rest of
stakeholders try to find solutions to Zambia’s economic problems, cost of living should be
one of the critical points of focus in discussions and policy documents in order to improve
people’s lives, says the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR).
The JCTR has long identified high cost of living in Zambia as one of the major andconsistent problems the country has experienced. “That is why,” says, Muweme
Muweme, Coordinator of the Social Conditions Research Project of the JCTR, “the JCTR
has as one of its activities the Basic Needs Basket, which is an effort aimed at giving a
picture of the struggle confronting households in meeting their daily essential needs.“
The Basket shows the relationship between household incomes and requirements forbasic human survival. It highlights the cost of food and essential non-food items. The
Basket is not compiled to be merely a statistical exercise, but a basis for responding to theneeds of the Zambian people, particularly the poor whose composition is by and large
women.
For the month of October, cost of living as shown by the JCTR Basket is K468,600 forfood alone compared to K439,400 for the month of September, representing an increaseof K29,200. The increase can be attributed to a significant upward adjustment in the priceof meat because of the current problem of foot and mouth disease that has resulted in
reduced supplies of meat on the market. There were also increases in the price of beans,
dry fish, cooking oil, etc. The increase in these items is on account of the upward
adjustment in fuel prices that probably has started to take effect after some period of
relative price stability.
If non-food essential items such as housing, water, energy, wash and bath soap areadded to the cost of food, the total cost for the Basic Needs Basket for the same month isK1,127,500. This figure is obviously beyond reach of many Zambian households.
According to Muweme, this situation of high cost of living explains why the Zambian
people indicated high cost of living as a serious problem in the recently launched National
Governance Baseline Survey (NGBS) by the Republican President.
It is important to recognize that high cost of living has serious off-shoots. It means thenutrition status at household level is negatively affected and results in, for example,
inadequate food intake with the effect of malnutrition and stunted growth for children,difficulties in accessing health care and education and it also generally means theabsence of the various dimensions of well being.
As Zambia continues to build its efforts around agricultural development, which is so far
commendable, it is important for government to realize that to realize the challenge of highcost of living. Thus there must be a holistic approach to addressing the problem of highcost of living. It means we must increase investment in sectors such as education andhealth as well as employment creation. “Doing this,” says Muweme, “as history has taught
us, is what will lead to improvements in people’s lives. It is also where the future of any
country is predicated and Zambia is no exception.”[For more information, contact Muweme Muweme, Social Conditions Research
Project of the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection, P.O. BOX 37774, Lusaka,
Zambia; tel: 260-1-290410; e-mail: socialjctr@zamnet.zm; internet: www.jctr.org.zm]

PRESS RELEASE

08 DECEMBER 2004

JCTR ASKS: WHY DON’T POLITICIANS SPEAK ABOUT
WHAT IS IMPORTANT IN PEOPLE’S LIVES?
“Why are our leading politicians disappointing us by not talking about what is important in ourlives?” That is the burning question that more and more citizens in Zambia are raising thesedays, as they face everyday problems of sustaining the livelihoods of their families.
According to Mr. Muweme Muweme, “The Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR) is
worried that the current political debates seem to be very much out-of-touch with the people’s
needs.” Muweme, who coordinates the JCTR’s Social Conditions Research Project, notesthat the central political focus should be on policies to improve people’s lives, not on
personalities that want to get elected or stay in office.
According to the JCTR’s November Basic Needs Basket, the cost of living for a family of six
in Lusaka has continued to fluctuate at a very high level. For food alone, the cost isK456,200, and for non-food essentials, the cost is K658,600. Compared to civil servants’
take-home pay that rarely touches the one million kwacha mark, a great gap is revealed
between what households ought to spend at a minimum level and the actual amount ofincome at their disposal. “In all honesty and decency, says Muweme, “this should be thenumber one political issue being discussed today!”Instead of focusing on the critical question of cost of living – the key in determining people’s
welfare since it shows how households and individuals relate to food, education and health,shelter, agricultural production, and other welfare indicators -- we hear at one level animmense amount of talk about the reaching the doubtful and ever “floating” HIPC Completion
point as though its attainment would automatically guarantee improvements in people’s lives.
At another level, the constitutional debate has drawn attention away from this criticalquestion of addressing the high cost of living in Zambia. As much as this constitutional
debate is important, it is certainly necessary that it be debated alongside the question of how
to improve people’s livelihoods.
Muweme asks: “When are we going to hear politicians, both in the ruling party and in the
opposition, debate how Zambia is going to attain the Millennium Development Goals(MDGs)? How do the politicians plan to create employment for the often-hopeless Zambian
youth? What plans do they have for improving the quality of health and education?”
For example, even though it is encouraging to hear the Ministry of Education say that they
will employ 1000 teachers, what will happen to those who will remain unemployed? Anotherexample is the support given to small-scale farmers in the form of subsidized inputs. While
this has greatly benefited the few farmers who have received this support, much more canand should be achieved with a prompter and wider supply of inputs.
These burning life-enhancing issues should top the agenda for political discussions. “Weshould see more headlines in the newspapers about the needs of people than the wants ofpoliticians,” says Muweme.
The JCTR trusts that the Zambian people, the majority of who are affected by poor living
conditions, will make issues concerning their welfare the critical points for deciding who getselected at any level of future elections. Then politics will really touch the lives of the people!
[For more information, contact Muweme Muweme, Social Conditions Research Project of theJesuit Centre for Theological Reflection, P. O. Box 37774, Lusaka, Zambia; tel: 260-1-290410;
fax: 260-1-290759; e-mail socialjctr@zamnet.zm; internet: www.jctr.org.zm]

PRESS RELEASE

06 JANUARY 2005

YEAR 2004 ENDS WITH FOOD ALONE COSTING K481,540: NEEDS OFPEOPLE SHOULD BE KEY IN POLICY DEBATES IN 2005, SAYS JCTR
Zambia’s longstanding problem of high cost of living should be one of the top most policy
debates in 2005, says the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR). This is because
cost of living determines people’s general welfare through indicating, for example, how
households and individuals relate to education, health, food, shelter, agricultural production,etc. “It is a broad quality of life indicator, as, for example, it primarily determines how many
meals a household will have in a given day,” says, Muweme Muweme, Coordinator of theSocial Conditions Research Project of the JCTR.
Any claims of improvements in Zambia’s economy should be judged by no other criteria thanquality of life indicators such as access to good health care and education, adequate food athousehold level, decline and possibly an absence of street children, adequate incomes, etc.
There should be no abstract notions of measuring the performance of the economy -- suchas in GDP terms only -- other than the primacy of what is happening in people’s lives, forexample, in nutrition terms.
Undoubtedly, the agricultural output of 2003 and 2004 has yielded many positive results suchas keeping inflation -- which hurts the poor most – in check, enhanced rural householdincomes, ensuring adequate food at household level, etc. However, with some steadydeclines only recorded in the period June to September, cost of food alone as shown by the
JCTR monthly Basic Needs Basket (BNB), continued to fluctuate at a higher level in 2004.
December like in the previous years, recorded a significant increase. This trend in cost offood alone reflected also the overall cost of the Basic Needs Basket (see graph below).
Graph showing trends in cost of food alone
for a family of six in Lusaka, 2004
490000480000470000460000
Kwacha450000440000430000420000410000400000
Jan-04Feb-04Mar-04

Apr-04

May-04

Jun-04

Jul-04Aug-04

Sep-04

Oct-04

Nov-04

Dec-04Month

The JCTR BNB estimates the monthly cost of food items such as mealie meal, beans, green
vegetables, cooking oil meat, eggs, etc., and essential non-food items such as housing inmedium density area, energy, wash and bath soap for a family of six. In 2004, the averagecost of food alone was K447,153 per month and non-food items K659,016 per month. The
average cost for the total BNB (i.e., cost of food and non-food) was K1,106,170 per month.
A comparison of these figures of cost of living -- which do not include the cost of transport,
education, health, personal care, etc. -- with net incomes of most households reveals theextent to which most Zambian households have to struggle to meet their essential needs fordecent human survival. For example, consider those civil servants looking at a pay chequefrozen because of government’s “need to meet the HIPC completion point,” those widows
breaking stones by the roadside and having to look after so many orphans brought about by
the relentless onslaught of AIDS, those households that have to balance between adequate
food and meeting the cost of antiretroviral therapy, those households without any access to
gainful employment, etc.
A widow of Lusaka had this to say in connection with her socioeconomic situations “I haveten children that I am keeping at my house, five children are my own and five are orphans. I
find it very difficult to take care of these children and there is no where to run to. My salary is
also below K200,000 and I have to pay rent, take children to school, buy food and do
everything else out of this money. I am really suffering!”
What should Zambia do in light of this socioeconomic situation? What should Zambia do tomove people from less human conditions to more human conditions -- a truer definition ofdevelopment than abstract GDP figures? It is important that Zambia pays attention to,among other considerations, the following:xFirst, Zambia has to ensure that at all levels there is a “responsive and responsible
leadership.” There is need to ensure that the individuals who are supposed torepresent the interests of the Zambian people, especially the poor throughemployment creation, provision of housing, etc., do exactly that. To do this it meansthat among others things, the new Zambian constitution must incorporate in the Bill of
Rights Economic, Social and Cultural Rights for the people to claim their inherent rightto development.

xSecond, recognizing the principle that development can only be achieved through thepeople themselves and that the people are the real goal of development, Zambia
should strive to improve the quality and accessibility of education to all the people. Itmeans building more schools, especially in rural areas to cut on the long distanceschildren have to cover to go to school, addressing what has become a perennial
problem of examination paper leakages that is impacting negatively on the purpose of
education, improving teacher morale through prompt and adequate remuneration, etc.

x

Third, the health problem has long been known to be a wider development problem
and this recognition has been laid bare more recently with the HIV/AIDS problem.
Therefore any strategies at addressing general health and the HIV/AIDS problem
must recognize the need to look at the general “workings” of the Zambian economy
and ensure that it is responsive to the needs of the majority poor Zambian people, forexample, ensuring that households have access to adequate food.

x

Fourth, Zambia must strive to attain total debt cancellation. This means strengthening
even further the voice calling for total debt cancellation as championed by JubileeZambia. Government, trade unions, Members of Parliament, women groups, theyouth, the church, etc., must continue with their efforts of advocating for total debt
cancellation for the purpose of improving living conditions of the Zambian people.
x

Fifth, sustainable agricultural practice is what will assure access to income and food athousehold levels for the majority of the Zambian people. Therefore efforts to findalternative ways to the heavy reliance on chemical fertilizers, coupled with crop
diversification, market access both local and international, etc., should be central tothe agricultural sector of the Zambian economy.

x

Sixth, one of the huge problems Zambia has been facing over the years isunemployment. In an environment of unemployment, people’s access to adequate
food, health care, education, the fight against poverty, etc., is greatly inhibited.
Therefore Zambia needs to have a strategy of employment creation that will show how
many and what kind of jobs, for example, are being created annually. This should bea Zambian priority whether or not it pleases foreign interests such as the IMF andWorld Bank.

The year 2005 will see heightened international focus on poverty through, for example, thereview of progress towards the attainment of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) agreed
upon by the international community in 2000. It will be particularly important for Zambia andother countries in similar situations to take advantage of this international focus on poverty
and ensure that there is commitment from the international community to take pragmatic
steps to address the problems of poverty, hunger, HIV/AIDs, trade imbalances, etc.
“The primacy of human considerations in socioeconomic policy should at all times be upheldand one hopes that the 2005 national budget will be seen as an instrument of achieving
development and will reflect this fundamental principle,” says Muweme.

[For more information, contact Muweme Muweme, Social Conditions Research Projectof the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection, P. O. Box 37774, Lusaka, Zambia;
tel: 260-1-290410; fax: 260-1-290759;
e-mail: socialjctr@zamnet.zm; internet: www.jctr.org.zm]

PRESS RELEASE

10 FEBRUARY 2005

THE 2005 NATIONAL BUDGET:CONTINUING WITH THE STATUS QUO?
With the national Budget for 2005 having been presented, the Jesuit Centre for Theological
Reflection (JCTR) is asking the question: to what extent will the 2005 national budget uplift
the lives of average Zambian families? Budget analysis has been the talk of the nation forthe past few weeks, and the JCTR looks to add its voice to the discussion.
The annual budget provides the sole opportunity for a government to transform its politicalstatements into concrete plans for action, with budget lines illustrating government priorities
and strategies to better serve the people. Based on these criteria, the 2005 budget lacks theboldness and the holistic vision to make tangible impact on the living situation of Zambian
people, especially for the poor majority of the country. Neither the budget statements by the
Minister of Finance and National Planning nor the budget lines clearly explain what
separates this budget from past budgets that have failed to uplift the lives of people on the
ground.
Taking into consideration the dire socio-economic situation of the nation, the people ofZambia have long deserved a bold budget to help people move from less to more humanconditions. Unfortunately, the proposed 2005 budget fails to assess the current potential andstruggles of the people, and consequently fails to offer a holistic strategy to exploit Zambian
potential in order to overcome the country’s problems. The JCTR’s monthly Basic Needs
Basket exercise helps illuminate the basic struggle faced by all Zambians to afford the risingcost of basic needs and therefore provides an important platform for beginning anassessment of the budget.
The JCTR Basic Needs Basket is a measure of the cost of essential food and non-food items
for a family of six living in one of six specific urban areas: Luanshya, Ndola, Lusaka, Kitwe,
Livingstone and Kabwe. In January 2005, the Basic Needs Basket totaled K838,410 for
Luanshya, K988,280 for Ndola, K1,340,840 for Lusaka, K973,910 for Kitwe, K1,108,750 for
Livingstone, and K842,900 for Kabwe. Furthermore, the cost of basic food alone was
K511,610 in Luanshya, K501,180 in Ndola, K492,940 in Lusaka, K479,210 in Kitwe,K453,350 in Livingstone, and K424,780 in Kabwe. For the same month, the Central
Statistical Office (CSO) calculated an average Basic Needs Basket across all of Zambia at
920,441 Kwacha, with the average cost of basic food for a Zambian family measured at
640,982 Kwacha.
The JCTR strongly supports the Catholic Commission for Justice, Development and Peace(CCJDP) and others who have called for an upward increase in the Pay as You Earn (PAYE)
exemption threshold. In the 2002-2003 Living Conditions Monitoring Survey, the CSO
classifies a family as ‘extremely poor’ if it is unable to afford the monthly cost of basic fooditems and ‘poor’ if it is unable to afford the monthly cost of the full Basic Needs Basket. By
setting the PAYE exemption threshold at K280,000 per month, the government isadmittedly taxing Zambian people who cannot afford to put food on the table for theirfamilies, the same group it classifies as ‘extremely poor!’
Furthermore, the K20,000 increase in the PAYE exemption threshold actually falls short of
the average year-end inflation of 17.5% for 2004, or in other words, fails to maintain thestatus quo. Based upon both the JCTR’s Basic Needs Basket and the CSO’s average
survey of cost of living across the nation, it is extraordinary that the PAYE exemption
threshold remain below K600,000, if not K900,000 to allow Zambian families to afford basic
non-food expenditures such as housing, water and electricity.
Of course an increase in the PAYE exemption threshold would lower the annual tax revenue
and possibly hinder resources from reaching critical social sectors such as health andeducation. In light of these two equally important but competing needs for investment,towards basic food items and social programmes, the government must think holistically andproactively to find alternative solutions that will not negatively affect the people. For
example, the government could take a more aggressive effort to broaden the tax base in the
country to target those groups of people who are not paying their fair share. Continuing tothink holistically, the fundamental method of broadening the tax base is to help foster
employment creation in the formal sector.
The 2005 national budget is very modest in its strategy of employment creation yet this is anarea which should be as robust in strategy as possibly can looking at Zambia’s current
context. In the budget address, the MoFNP made promises to create an encouraging
business environment in the country. One significant challenge to this healthy businessclimate is the monstrous domestic debt that totals more than $US 1 Billion and grew by 6% in
the period 2003-2004.
Though the government is making efforts to reduce the identified longstanding problem ofgrowth in domestic debt, its efforts must go beyond just reducing the growth of this debt but
also tackling the principle in order to facilitate quick private sector development andemployment creation. Realizing that one of the most important ways through which any
country can uplift its people is by ensuring that its citizens have access to employment,
government also needs to pay attention to the remuneration of created positions. The
remuneration must be that which enables people to have an income for food, housing,health, etc.
Returning specifically to the Lusaka Basic Needs Basket, the January 2005 total was
K1,340,840 compared to K1,147,840 in December of 2004. This significant increase in costis mainly due to an upward adjustment in the cost of rent for a basic three-bedroom house in
the city. The JCTR’s Basic Needs Basket demonstrates the extreme shortage of affordable
housing that exists across many urban areas particularly in Lusaka. Does the 2005 budget
outline a plan to assure that Zambians can afford their basic human right to adequate
housing?
It is important to realize that at all time education and health should be the primaryconsideration in investment in human capital. Unfortunately, the current situation obtaining in
the country with regard to education is not assuring Zambia’s development. Our country’s
efforts as seen in the 2005 national budget are more of a strategy to deal with a backlog ofproblems of the education sector than advancements in terms of quality, promoting
enrolment, etc.
In conclusion, the 2005 national budget makes an effort to address some negative off-shootsof failed economic measures in the past, including the imposed wage and recruitment freeze
that affected critical areas of staff needed for achieving development. However, the budget
lacks a holistic, decisive strategy within each sector to empower the nation to move beyond
the status quo of unemployment and poverty. In the present context, Zambia desperately
needs a budget that not only refrains from negatively impacting the people, but outlines abold strategy to immediately address inadequacies in the social sector.
“The 1998 African Development Report,” says Muweme Muweme of the JCTR, “reminds usof the above fundamental principal particularly as we continue to discuss the processes ofmaking our economy grow in GDP terms. The Report stated: ‘Once a generation of children
is exposed to life without adequate health and nutrition or school, there is little that can bedone during their adulthood to reverse the damage. For these reasons, investment in humancapital cannot be put off until economic conditions are better.’ Unfortunately, there are manyof Zambia’s children who are in an irreversible state of damage!”[For more information, contact Muweme Muweme, Social Conditions Research Project of theJesuit Centre for Theological Reflection, P. O. Box 37774, Lusaka, Zambia;
tel: 260-1-290410; fax: 260-1-290759;
e-mail: socialjctr@zamnet.zm; internet: www.jctr.org.zm]

Appendix B: Demonstration of Methodology
x Collection Templatesx Example Calculations from January 2005
x Example Basic Needs Baskets from January 2005

Chilenje-Town
Chelston-Town
Matero-Town

Shoprite
PRICE

City Market
PRICE*Please note if any quantity sizes vary from those listed in the "Quantity" column.

ITEM
Mealie Meal (breakfast)
Beans
Kapenta (Siavonga)
Dry FishMeat (mixed cut)
Eggs
Vegetables (greens)
TomatoOnion
Milk (fresh)
Cooking oil
Bread
Sugar
Salt
Tea (Tips)
Charcoal
Soap (Lifebuoy)
Wash soap (Boom)
Jelly (e.g. Vaseline)
Electricity (900 units)
Water (medium density)
Housing (basic 3-bedroom)
Education (basic: per year PTA)
Health (monthly scheme per person)
Transport (bus fare round trip)
Transport (bus fare round trip)
Transport (bus fare round trip)

Northmead
QUANTITY*
PRICE
25 Kg
1 Kg
1 Kg
1 Kg
1 Kg
1 unit (10)
1 Kg
1 Kg
1 Kg
2 litres
2 liters
1 loaf
1 Kg
1 Kg
500 g
90 Kg
150 g
400 g
500 mLBNB DATA COLLECTION: LUSAKA
NAME OF SURVEYOR:DATES OF SURVEY:
Chawama
PRICE

Chainda
PRICE

Kabwata
PRICE

MateroPRICEDambwa - Town
Marambwa-Town
Victoria Falls-Town

Shoprite (Centre)
PRICE

Town Centre Market
PRICE*Please note if any quantity sizes vary from those listed in the "Quantity" column.

ITEM
QUANTITY*
Mealie Meal (breakfast)
25 Kg
Beans
1 Kg
Kapenta (Siavonga)
1 Kg
Dry Fish
1 Kg
Meat (mixed cut)
1 Kg
Eggs
1 unit (10)Vegetables (greens)
1 Kg
Tomato
1 Kg
Onion
1 Kg
Milk (fresh)
2 litresCooking oil
2 liters
Bread
1 loaf
Sugar
1 Kg
Salt
1 Kg
Tea (Tips)
500 g
Charcoal
90 Kg
Soap (Lifebuoy)
150 g
Wash soap (Boom)
400 g
Jelly (e.g. Vaseline)
500 mL
Electricity (900 units)
Water (medium density)
Housing (basic 3-bedroom)
Education (basic: per year PTA)
Health (consultation fee)
Transport (bus fare round trip)
Transport (bus fare round trip)
Transport (bus fare round trip)

BNB DATA COLLECTION: LIVINGSTONENAME OF SURVEYOR:DATES OF SURVEY:
Dambwa Market
PRICE

Maramba Market
PRICE

Mbita Market
PRICE

Helen Brittel
PRICE

Lukanga-Town
Ngongu-Town
Mine-Town

Kamda Market
PRICE

Kotondo Market
PRICE*Please note if any quantity sizes vary from those listed in the "Quantity" column.

ITEM
QUANTITY*
Mealie Meal (breakfast)
25 Kg
Beans
1 Kg
Kapenta (Siavonga)
1 Kg
Dry Fish
1 Kg
Meat (mixed cut)
1 Kg
Eggs
1 unit (10)Vegetables (greens)
1 Kg
Tomato
1 Kg
Onion
1 Kg
Milk (long-life)
500 mL
Cooking oil
2.5 litres
Bread
1 Loaf
Sugar
1 Kg
Salt
1 Kg
Tea (Tips)
500 g
Charcoal
50 Kg
Soap (Lifebuoy)
150 g
Wash soap (Boom)
400 g
Jelly (e.g. Vaseline)
500 mL
Electricity (900 units)
Water (medium density)
Housing (basic 3-bedroom)
Education (grades 1-7: per year PTA)
Health (hospital/clinic daily fee)
Transport (bus fare round trip)
Transport (bus fare round trip)
Transport (bus fare round trip)

BNB DATA COLLECTION: KABWENAME OF SURVEYOR:DATES OF SURVEY:
Nakoli Market
PRICE

Shoprite (Centre)
PRICE

Lukanga Market
PRICENdeke-Town
Chifubu-Town
Masala-Town
Mushili-Town

Masala Market
PRICE

Mushili Market
PRICE*Please note if any quantity sizes vary from those listed in the "Quantity" column.

ITEM
QUANTITY*
Mealie Meal (breakfast)
25 Kg
Beans
1 Kg
Kapenta (Mpulungu)
1 Kg
Dry Fish
1 Kg
Meat (mixed cut)
1 Kg
Eggs
1 unit (10)Vegetables (greens)
1 Kg
Tomato
1 Kg
Onion
1 Kg
Milk (long-life)
500 mL
Cooking oil
2.5 litres
Bread
1 Loaf
Sugar
1 Kg
Salt
1 Kg
Tea (Tips)
500 g
Charcoal
90 Kg
Soap (Lifebuoy)
150 g
Wash soap (Boom)
400 g
Jelly (e.g. Vaseline)
500 mL
Electricity (900 units)
Water (medium density)
Housing (basic 3-bedroom)
Education (grades 1-7: per year PTA)
Education (grades 8-9: per year PTA)
Health (monthly scheme per person)
Transport (bus fare round trip)
Transport (bus fare round trip)
Transport (bus fare round trip)
Transport (bus fare round trip)

BNB DATA COLLECTION: NDOLANAME OF SURVEYOR:DATES OF SURVEY:
Lubuto Market
PRICE

Chifubu Market
PRICE

Shoprite (Centre)
PRICE

Chamboli-Town
Nakadoli-Town
Chimwemwe-Town

Chamboli Market
PRICE

Nakadoli Market
PRICE*Please note if any quantity sizes vary from those listed in the "Quantity" column.

ITEM
QUANTITY*
Mealie Meal (breakfast)
25 Kg
Beans
1 Kg
Kapenta (Mpulungu)
1 Kg
Dry Fish
1 Kg
Meat (mixed cut)
1 Kg
Eggs
1 unit (10)Vegetables (greens)
1 Kg
Tomato
1 Kg
Onion
1 Kg
Milk (long-life)
500 mL
Cooking oil
2.5 litres
Bread
1 Loaf
Sugar
1 Kg
Salt
1 Kg
Tea (Tips)
500 g
Charcoal
90 Kg
Soap (Lifebuoy)
150 g
Wash soap (Boom)
400 g
Jelly (e.g. Vaseline)
500 mL
Electricity (900 units)
Water (medium density)
Housing (basic 3-bedroom)
Education (grades 1-7: per year PTA)
Education (grades 8-9: per year PTA)
Health (consultation fee)
Transport (bus fare round trip)
Transport (bus fare round trip)
Transport (bus fare round trip)

BNB DATA COLLECTION: KITWE
NAME OF SURVEYOR:DATES OF SURVEY:
Chimwemwe Market
PRICE

Chisokone Market
PRICE

Shoprite (Centre)
PRICEMpatamatu-Town
Kalala-Roan
Roan-Town

Mpatamatu Market
PRICE

Buseko Market
PRICE*Please note if any quantity sizes vary from those listed in the "Quantity" column.

ITEM
QUANTITY*
Mealie Meal (breakfast)
25 Kg
Beans
1 Kg
Kapenta (Mpulungu)
1 Kg
Dry Fish
1 Kg
Meat (mixed cut)
1 Kg
Eggs
1 unit (10)Vegetables (greens)
1 Kg
Tomato
1 Kg
Onion
1 Kg
Milk (long-life)
500 mL
Cooking oil
2.5 liters
Bread
1 Loaf
Sugar
1 Kg
Salt
1 Kg
Tea (Tips)
500 g
Charcoal
50 kg
Soap (Lifebuoy)
150 g
Wash soap (Boom)
400 g
Jelly (e.g. Vaseline)
500 mL
Electricity (900 units)
Water (medium density)
Housing (basic 3-bedroom)
Education (grades 1-7: per year PTA)
Education (grades 8-9: per year PTA)
Health (consultation fee)
Transport (bus fare round trip)
Transport (bus fare round trip)
Transport (bus fare round trip)

BNB DATA COLLECTION: LUANSHYANAME OF SURVEYOR:DATES OF SURVEY:
Roan Market
PRICE

Mikomfwa Market
PRICE

Shoprite (Centre)
PRICE2 x 90 Kg bags
10 tablets
4 x 400 g
1 x 500 mL

Charcoal
Soap (Lifebuoy)
Wash soap (Boom)
Jelly (e.g. Vaseline)
Electricity (E3)
Water (medium density)
Housing (3 bedroom)
Sub-total

Total for Basic Needs Basket
Basic Education (grades 8-9: PTA per year)
Secondary Education (grades 10-12: PTA per year)
Health (monthly scheme per person)
Transport (round trip bus fare: Chilenje-Town)
Transport (round trip bus fare: Chelston-Town)
Transport (round trip bus fare: Matero-Town)
Teacher
407,000-913,000
Secretary in Civil Service
390,000-791,000
Nurse
461,000-1,489,000
Police Officer
Security Guard

QUANTITY3 x 25 Kg bags
2 Kgs
2 Kgs
1 Kg
4 Kgs
2 Units
7.5 Kgs
4 Kgs
4 Kgs
1 x 2 litres2 x 2 litres
1 loaf/day
8 Kgs
1 Kg
1 x 500 g

ITEM
Mealie Meal (breakfast)
Beans
Kapenta (Siavonga)
Dry FishMeat (mixed cut)
Eggs
Vegetables (greens)
TomatoOnion
Milk (fresh)
Cooking oil
Bread
Sugar
Salt
Tea (leaves)
Sub-total
73,20012,00010,8004,900
113,000
34,000600,000
847,900

1,340,840
65,000 - 150,000
200,000 - 240,000
1,500
3,400
4,000
3,200

36,600
1,200
2,700
4,900
113,000
34,000600,000

35,000
1,500
2,700
5,000

70,00015,00010,800
5,000
1,200
2,550
4,050

12,000
10,200
4,050

1,200
2,700
5,000

12,00010,8005,000

35,000
1,100
2,500
5,000

70,00011,00010,0005,000

35,000
1,200
2,700
5,000

70,00012,00010,8005,000

40,000
1,200
2,700
4,500

80,00012,00010,8004,500

38,000
1,200
2,700
5,500

76,00012,00010,8005,500

Lusaka Average
Northmead
Town Centre Shoprite
City Market
Chawama Market
Chainda Market
Kabwata Market
Matero Market
KWACHA TOTAL KWACHA TOTAL KWACHA TOTAL KWACHA TOTAL KWACHA TOTAL KWACHA TOTAL KWACHA TOTAL KWACHA TOTAL
33,00099,00034,000102,000
31,50094,50033,00099,00031,00093,00034,000102,000
34,000102,000
33,500100,500
6,200
12,4007,000
14,0005,000
10,0005,000
10,000
6,000
12,0008,000
16,000
6,000
12,00035,30070,60028,00056,00032,00064,00040,00080,00040,00080,00040,00080,00032,00064,00040,00040,00040,00040,00040,00040,00040,00040,00015,70062,80018,50074,00017,00068,00012,00048,00017,00068,00014,00056,0005,200
10,400
6,000
12,0005,500
11,0005,000
10,0005,000
10,0005,000
10,0005,000
10,0005,000
10,00018,7502,200
16,5002,000
15,0002,500
18,7502,500
18,7502,400
18,0002,500
18,7502,500
2,500
10,0003,500
14,0002,680
10,720
2,000
8,000
2,400
9,600
2,000
8,000
2,000
8,000
3,000
12,000
2,400
9,600
3,000
12,0002,980
11,920
2,000
8,000
2,400
9,600
2,000
8,000
2,000
8,000
2,400
9,600
8,840
8,840
8,100
8,100
8,150
8,150
8,800
8,800
9,600
9,600
8,800
8,800
9,600
9,600
18,10036,20021,30042,60019,90039,80015,00030,00016,00032,0002,400
72,0002,200
66,0002,500
75,0002,400
72,0002,500
75,0002,300
69,0002,500
75,0003,900
31,2004,300
34,4003,750
30,0004,000
32,0003,800
30,4003,800
30,4003,800
30,4004,000
32,000
2,000
2,000
1,700
1,700
3,250
3,250
1,500
1,500
1,500
1,500
2,000
2,000
1,800
1,800
2,000
2,000
9,900
9,900
10,40010,40010,72010,72010,00010,00010,00010,00010,00010,0008,000
8,000
10,00010,000492,940

Basic Needs Basket : The Cost of Essential Food and Non-Food Items for a Family of Six Living in Lusaka - January 2005

180 Kgs
10 tablets
4 x 400 g
1 x 500 mL

Charcoal (50 Kg bag)
Soap (Lifebuoy)
Wash soap (Boom)
Jelly (e.g. Vaseline)
Electricity (R3)
Water (medium density)
Housing (3 bedroom)
Sub-total

Basic Needs Basket Total
Basic Education (grades 1-7: PTA per year)
Health (consultation fee)
Transport (round trip bus fare: Dambwa-Town)
Transport (round trip bus fare: Marambwa-Town)
Transport (round trip bus fare: Victoria Falls-Town)

QUANTITY3 x 25 Kg bags
2 Kgs
2 Kgs
1 Kg
4 Kgs
2 Units
7.5 Kgs
4 Kgs
4 Kgs
1 x 2 litres2 x 2 litres
1 loaf/day
8 Kgs
1 Kg
500 g

ITEM
Mealie Meal (breakfast)
Beans
Kapenta (Siavonga)
Dry FishMeat (mixed cut)
Eggs
Vegetables (greens)
TomatoOnion
Milk (fresh)
Cooking Oil
Bread
Sugar
Salt
Tea (Tips)
Sub-total
104,400
14,00011,6005,400
100,000
70,000350,000
655,400

1,108,750
30,000 - 40,000
6,000
4,000
4,000
8,000

29,000
1,400
2,900
5,400
100,000
70,000350,000
1,200
2,550
5,050

12,000
10,2005,050

30,000
1,500
3,000
6,000

108,000
15,00012,0006,000

25,000
1,300
2,800
5,500

90,00013,000
11,2005,500

30,000
1,300
2,800
5,000

108,000
13,000
11,2005,000

25,000
1,500
3,000
6,000

90,00015,00012,0006,000

35,000
1,500
3,000
5,000

126,000
15,00012,0005,000

Livingstone Average Town Centre Shoprite
Town Centre Market
Dambwa Market
Maramba Market
Mbita Market
Elaine Brittel
KWACHA TOTAL KWACHA TOTAL KWACHA TOTAL KWACHA TOTAL KWACHA TOTAL KWACHA TOTAL KWACHA TOTAL
35,400106,200
36,400109,200
34,500103,500
35,000105,000
37,000111,000
34,000102,000
4,900
9,800
4,000
8,000
4,500
9,000
5,000
10,0005,000
10,000
6,000
12,00023,00046,00020,00040,00020,00040,00020,00040,00025,00050,00030,00060,00023,30023,30025,00025,00020,00020,00025,00025,00012,80051,20016,00064,00012,00048,00012,00048,00012,00048,00012,00048,0006,400
12,8006,400
12,8007,000
14,000
6,000
12,000
6,000
12,000
6,000
12,0007,000
14,0001,500
11,2501,500
11,250
1,200
9,000
1,000
7,500
1,000
7,500
2,700
20,25011,6002,680
10,720
2,000
8,000
3,000
12,0003,000
12,0003,000
12,0004,000
16,0002,900
2,500
10,0002,980
11,920
2,000
8,000
2,500
10,000
2,000
8,000
2,000
8,000
3,500
14,000
7,900
7,900
7,980
7,980
8,000
8,000
7,200
7,200
8,000
8,000
8,000
8,000
8,000
8,000
16,20032,40019,90039,80017,00034,00015,00030,00015,00030,00015,00030,00015,00030,0002,900
87,0002,200
66,0003,000
90,0003,000
90,0003,000
90,0003,000
90,0003,000
90,0004,000
32,0003,750
30,0004,000
32,0003,800
30,4003,800
30,4004,000
32,0004,500
36,000
2,400
2,400
2,000
2,000
3,000
3,000
3,000
3,000
2,800
2,800
3,250
3,250
3,000
3,000
9,100
9,100
8,600
8,600
10,00010,000
6,000
6,000
10,00010,00010,00010,00010,00010,000453,350

Basic Needs Basket : The Cost of Essential Food and Non-Food Items for a Family of Six Living in Livingstone - January 2005

180 Kgs
10 tablets
4 x 400 g
1 x 500 mL

QUANTITY3 x 25 Kg bags
2 Kgs
2 Kgs
1 Kg
4 Kgs
2 Units
7.5 Kgs
4 Kgs
4 Kgs
4 x 500 mL
4 litres1 loaf/day
8 Kgs
1 Kg
500 g

Basic Needs Basket Total
Basic Education (grades 1-7: PTA per year)
Health (hospital clinics daily fee)
Transport (round trip bus fare: Lukanga-Town)
Transport (round trip bus fare: Ngongu-Town)
Transport (round trip bus fare: Mine-Town)

Charcoal (50 Kg bag)
Soap (Lifebuoy)
Wash soap (Boom)
Jelly (e.g. Vaseline)
Electricity (E3)
Water (medium density)
Housing (3 bedroom)
Sub-total

ITEM
Mealie Meal (breakfast)
Beans
Kapenta (Mpulungu)
Dry FishMeat (mixed cut)
Eggs
Vegetables (greens)
TomatoOnion
Milk (long-life)
Cooking Oil (2.5 litre bottle)
Bread
Sugar
Salt
Tea (Tips)
Sub-total

50,000
2,000
2,400
3,200
4,000

15,200
1,200
2,800
5,200
50,00035,000250,000

842,900

54,72012,000
11,2005,200
50,00035,000250,000
418,120

16,000
1,250
2,950
5,000

57,60012,50011,8005,000

15,000
1,250
2,750
4,850

54,00012,50011,0004,850

14,500
1,400
2,800
5,000

52,20014,000
11,200
5,000

950
2,500
6,100

9,500
10,000
6,100

1,200
2,600
4,500

12,00010,4004,500

Kabwe Average
Kamnda Market
Katondo Market
Nakoli Market
Shoprite
Lukanga Township
KWACHA TOTAL KWACHA TOTAL KWACHA TOTAL KWACHA TOTAL KWACHA TOTAL KWACHA TOTAL
33,00099,00032,50097,50031,40094,20032,50097,50034,800104,400
34,000102,000
5,000
10,000
4,500
9,000
4,500
9,000
6,000
12,0006,500
13,000
6,000
12,000
6,000
12,000
6,000
12,0008,000
16,00019,30019,30020,00020,00018,00018,00020,00020,00015,50062,00014,00056,00015,00060,00015,00060,00018,00072,00015,50062,000
6,000
12,000
6,000
12,000
6,000
12,000
6,000
12,000
6,000
12,000
6,000
12,0002,000
15,0002,000
15,0002,000
15,0002,000
15,0002,000
15,0004,500
18,0004,500
18,0004,000
16,0004,000
16,0005,000
20,0005,000
20,000
5,100
20,4005,000
20,0005,000
20,0004,500
18,0006,000
24,0005,000
20,0002,900
11,6002,750
11,0002,800
11,2002,900
11,6002,850
11,4003,000
12,00016,80026,88016,50026,40016,00025,60017,00027,20017,50028,0002,500
75,0002,800
84,0002,500
75,0002,500
75,0002,250
67,5002,500
75,0003,800
30,4003,800
30,4003,850
30,8003,500
28,0003,950
31,6003,800
30,400
1,500
1,500
1,000
1,000
1,500
1,500
1,250
1,250
2,300
2,300
1,500
1,500
10,70010,70010,00010,00010,40010,40010,40010,40012,50012,50010,00010,000424,780

Basic Needs Basket : The Cost of Essential Food and Non-Food Items for a Family of Six Living in Kabwe - January 2005

2 x 90 Kg bags
10 tablets
4 x 400 g
1 x 500 mL

Charcoal
Soap (Lifebuoy)
Wash soap (Boom)
Jelly (e.g. Vaseline)
Electricity (E3)
Water (medium density)
Housing (3 bedroom)
Sub-total

Basic Needs Basket Total
Basic Education (grades 1-7: PTA per year)
Basic Education (grades 8-9: PTA per year)
Health (monthly scheme per person)
Transport (round trip bus fare: Ndeke-Town)
Transport (round trip bus fare: Chifubu-Town)
Transport (round trip bus fare: Masala-Town)
Transport (round trip bus fare: Mushili-Town)

QUANTITY3 x 25 Kg bags
2 Kgs
2 Kgs
1 Kg
4 Kgs
2 Units
7.5 Kgs
4 Kgs
4 Kgs
4 x 500 mL
4 litres1 loaf/day
8 Kgs
1 Kg
4 x 125 g

ITEM
Mealie Meal (breakfast)
Beans
Kapenta (Mpulungu)
Dry FishMeat (mixed cut)
Eggs
Vegetables (greens)
TomatoOnion
Milk (long-life)
Cooking Oil (2.5 litre bottle)
Bread
Sugar
Salt
Tea (Tips)
Sub-total

32,000180,000
1,000
2,800
3,000
3,000
3,000

38,300
1,100
2,600
5,100
55,00029,000300,000

988,280

76,60011,00010,4005,100
55,00029,000300,000
487,100

38,000
1,000
2,500
5,000

76,00010,00010,0005,000

38,500
1,000
2,800
5,000

77,00010,000
11,2005,000

37,000
1,100
2,500
5,500

74,00011,00010,0005,500

39,500
1,100
2,400
4,500

79,00011,000
9,600
4,500

1,150
2,550
5,550

11,500
10,2005,550

Ndola Average
Masala Market
Mushili Market
Lubuto Market
Chifubu Market
Shoprite Market
KWACHA TOTAL KWACHA TOTAL KWACHA TOTAL KWACHA TOTAL KWACHA TOTAL KWACHA TOTAL
35,400106,200
35,500106,500
35,000105,000
35,500106,500
35,000105,000
35,900107,700
7,100
14,2007,000
14,0007,000
14,0007,500
15,0007,000
14,00029,00058,00028,00056,00028,00056,00030,00060,00030,00060,00031,30031,30025,00025,00030,00030,00035,00035,00035,00035,00017,30069,20017,00068,00017,50070,00017,00068,00017,00068,00018,00072,0005,000
10,0005,000
10,0005,000
10,0005,000
10,0005,000
10,000
4,800
9,600
1,800
13,5001,600
12,0001,800
13,5001,800
13,5001,800
13,5004,000
16,0003,680
14,7203,700
14,8003,500
14,0003,500
14,0004,000
16,0004,000
16,0004,000
16,0004,500
18,0004,000
16,0003,500
14,0003,780
15,1202,700
10,8002,700
10,8002,700
10,8002,700
10,8002,700
10,8002,500
10,00017,30027,68017,50028,00017,00027,20017,00027,20017,50028,0002,700
81,0002,800
84,0002,800
84,0002,800
84,0002,800
84,0002,500
75,0004,700
37,6004,500
36,0005,000
40,0005,000
40,0005,000
40,0003,780
30,240
2,100
2,100
2,000
2,000
2,000
2,000
2,000
2,000
2,000
2,000
2,500
2,500
2,200
8,800
2,000
8,000
2,000
8,000
2,000
8,000
2,000
8,000
3,000
12,000501,180

Basic Needs Basket : The Cost of Essential Food and Non-Food Items for a Family of Six Living in Ndola - January 2005

2 x 90 Kg bags
10 tablets
4 x 400 g
1 x 500 mL

Charcoal
Soap (Lifebuoy)
Wash soap (Boom)
Jelly (e.g. Vaseline)
Electricity (E3)
Water (medium density)
Housing (3 bedroom)
Sub-total

Basic Needs Basket Total
Basic Education (grades 1-7: PTA per year)
Basic Education (grades 8-9: PTA per year)
Health (clinic: monthly scheme per person)
Transport (round trip bus fare: Chamboli-Town)
Transport (round trip bus fare: Nakadoli-Town)
Transport (round trip bus fare: Chimwemwe-Town)

QUANTITY3 x 25 Kg bags
2 Kgs
2 Kgs
1 Kg
4 Kgs
2 Units
7.5 Kgs
4 Kgs
4 Kgs
4 x 500 mL
4 litres1 loaf/day
8 Kgs
1 Kg
4 x 125 g

ITEM
Mealie Meal (breakfast)
Beans
Kapenta (Mpulungu)
Dry FishMeat (mixed cut)
Eggs
Vegetables (greens)
TomatoOnion
Milk (long-life)
Cooking Oil (2.5 litre bottle)
Bread
Sugar
Salt
Tea (Tips)
Sub-total

32,000180,000
1,000
3,000
4,500
4,500

37,900
1,100
2,600
5,000
52,50040,000300,000

973,91075,80011,00010,4005,000
52,50040,000300,000
494,700

38,000
1,100
2,700
4,500

76,00011,00010,8004,500

38,500
1,000
2,500
5,000

77,00010,00010,0005,000

38,000
1,000
2,700
5,000

76,00010,00010,8005,000

37,000
1,000
2,500
5,000

74,00010,00010,000
5,000

1,150
2,550
5,500

11,500
10,2005,500

Kitwe Average
Chamboli Market
Nakadoli Market
Chimwemwe Market
Chisokone Market
Shoprite Market
KWACHA TOTAL KWACHA TOTAL KWACHA TOTAL KWACHA TOTAL KWACHA TOTAL KWACHA TOTAL
35,300105,900
35,500106,500
35,000105,000
35,000105,000
35,000105,000
35,900107,700
7,000
14,0007,000
14,0007,500
15,0007,000
14,0006,500
13,00022,50045,00020,00040,00025,00050,00025,00050,00020,00040,00026,30026,30025,00025,00025,00025,00030,00030,00025,00025,00017,50070,00017,00068,00017,50070,00018,00072,00017,00068,00018,00072,0005,000
10,0005,000
10,0005,000
10,0005,000
10,0005,000
10,000
4,800
9,600
1,700
12,7501,800
13,5001,600
12,0001,800
13,5001,600
12,0003,200
12,8003,000
12,0003,500
14,0003,000
12,0003,000
12,0003,680
14,7203,900
15,6003,500
14,0004,000
16,0004,000
16,0004,000
16,0003,780
15,1202,700
10,8002,700
10,8002,700
10,8002,700
10,8002,700
10,8002,500
10,00017,10027,36017,50028,00017,00027,20017,00027,20017,00027,2002,700
81,0002,800
84,0002,800
84,0002,800
84,0002,500
75,0002,500
75,0004,700
37,6004,500
36,0005,000
40,0005,000
40,0005,000
40,0003,750
30,000
2,100
2,100
2,000
2,000
2,000
2,000
2,000
2,000
2,000
2,000
2,500
2,500
2,000
8,000
2,000
8,000
2,000
8,000
2,000
8,000
2,000
8,000
2,000
8,000
479,210

Basic Needs Basket : The Cost of Essential Food and Non-Food Items for a Family of Six Living in Kitwe - January 2005

180 kgs
10 tablets
4 x 400 g
1 x 500 mL

QUANTITY3 x 25 Kg bags
2 Kgs
2 Kgs
1 Kg
4 Kgs
2 Units
7.5 Kgs
4 Kgs
4 Kgs
4 x 500 mL
4 litres1 loaf/day
8 Kgs
1 Kg
2 x 250 g

Basic Needs Basket Total
Basic Education (grades 1-7: PTA per year)
Basic Education (grades 8-9: PTA per year)
Health (consultation fee)
Transport (round trip bus fare: Mpatamatu-Town)
Transport (round trip bus fare: Kalala-Roan)
Transport (round trip bus fare: Roan-Town)

Charcoal (25 Kg bag)
Soap (Lifebuoy)
Wash soap (Boom)
Jelly (e.g. Vaseline)
Electricity (E3)
Water (medium density)
Housing (3 bedroom)
Sub-total

ITEM
Mealie Meal (breakfast)
Beans
Kapenta (Mpulungu)
Dry FishMeat (mixed cut)
Eggs
Vegetables (greens)
TomatoOnion
Milk (long-life)
Cooking Oil (2.5 litre bottle)
Bread
Sugar
Salt
Tea (Tips)
Sub-total
75,60011,00010,000
5,200
40,00035,000150,000
326,800

838,410
20,000 - 40,000
75,000 - 85,000
1,500
2,800
1,100
2,500

10,500
1,100
2,500
5,200
40,00035,000150,000
10,000
1,100
2,600
4,700

72,00011,00010,4004,700

12,000
1,100
2,500
5,500

86,40011,00010,000
5,500

10,000
1,100
2,600
5,500

72,00011,00010,400
5,500

10,000
1,100
2,600
5,000

72,00011,00010,400
5,000

1,200
2,350
5,500

12,0009,400
5,500

Luanshya Average
Mpatamatu Market
Buseko Market
Roan Market
Mikomfwa Market
Town Centre Shoprite
KWACHA TOTAL KWACHA TOTAL KWACHA TOTAL KWACHA TOTAL KWACHA TOTAL KWACHA TOTAL
35,200105,600
35,000105,000
35,000105,000
35,000105,000
35,000105,000
35,900107,700
3,500
7,000
3,500
7,000
3,500
7,000
3,500
7,000
3,500
7,000
38,50077,00042,00084,00035,00070,00042,00084,00035,00070,00041,30041,30040,00040,00045,00045,00040,00040,00040,00040,00015,90063,60015,00060,00016,00064,00016,50066,00017,00068,00014,90059,600
6,000
12,000
6,000
12,000
6,000
12,0006,500
13,000
6,000
12,0005,500
11,0002,300
17,2502,500
18,7502,000
15,0002,500
18,7502,000
15,0003,900
15,6004,000
16,0004,500
18,0004,500
18,0004,000
16,0002,650
10,6004,800
19,2005,000
20,0005,500
22,0005,500
22,0005,000
20,0002,980
11,9202,600
10,4002,500
10,0002,600
10,4002,600
10,4002,500
10,0002,650
10,60018,10028,96018,50029,60017,50028,00018,50029,60018,00028,8002,400
72,0002,500
75,0002,500
75,0002,500
75,0002,500
75,0002,200
66,0003,800
30,4003,800
30,4003,800
30,4003,800
30,4003,800
30,4003,750
30,000
1,500
1,500
1,500
1,500
1,500
1,500
1,500
1,500
1,500
1,500
1,700
1,700
4,900
9,800
5,000
10,000
4,950
9,900
4,750
9,500
511,610

Basic Needs Basket : The Cost of Essential Food and Non-Food Items for a Family of Six Living in Luanshya - January 2005

JCTR BASIC NEEDS BASKET: LUSAKAJANUARY 2005
(A) COST OF BASIC FOOD ITEMS FOR A FAMILY OF SIX IN LUSAKA

Commodity

KwachaQuantity

Total

Mealie meal (breakfast)
Beans
Kapenta (Siavonga)
Dry FishMeat (mixed cut)
Eggs
Vegetables (greens)
TomatoOnion
Milk (fresh)
Cooking oil
Bread
Sugar
Salt
Tea (leaves)
Sub-total

33,0006,200
35,30040,00015,700
5,200
2,400
2,500
2,400
8,840
18,100
2,400
3,900
2,000
9,900

3 x 25 Kg bags
2 Kgs
2 Kgs
1 Kg
4 Kgs
2 Units
7.5 Kgs
4 Kgs
4 Kgs
1 x 2 litres2 x 2 litres
1 loaf/day
8 Kgs
1 Kg
1 x 500 g

99,00012,40070,60040,00062,80010,40018,00010,0009,600
8,840
36,20072,00031,2002,000
9,900
492,940(B) COST OF ESSENTIAL NON-FOOD ITEMS

Charcoal
Soap (Lifebuoy)
Wash soap (Boom)
Jelly (e.g., Vaseline)
Electricity
Water (medium density)
Housing (medium density)
Sub-total

36,600
1,200
2,700
4,900
113,000
34,000600,000

2 x 90 Kg bags
10 tablets
4 x 400 g
1 x 500 mL

73,20012,00010,8004,900
113,000
34,000600,000
847,900

Total for Basic Needs Basket
Totals for previous
months: 2004

AmountJan

Feb

1,340,840

March April

1,065,900 1,078,750 1,094,100

1,110,150

May

June

July

Aug

Sept

Oct

Nov

Dec

1,113,900

1,118,700 1,105,100 1,100,200 1,097,100 1,127,500 1,106,600 1,147,840(C) SOME OTHER ADDITIONAL COSTS

Item
Education (per year PTA)
Basic (grades 8-9)
Secondary (grades 10-12)
Health (monthly scheme per person)
Transport bus fare round trip:
Chilenje-Town
Chelston-Town
Matero-Town

KwachaK65,000-K150,000
K200,000-K240,000
K1,500K3,400
K4,000K3,200Please note that other costs would include personal care, clothing, recreation, etc.
(D) SOME COMPARATIVE FIGURES OF WAGES--''TAKE HOME PAY''

SALARY

Teacher

Secretary in Civil
Service

Nurse

Police Officer

Security Guard

K407,000-K913,000

K390,000-K791,000

K461,000-K1,489,000

To be Updated

To be UpdatedththThis survey was conducted between 26 –27 January 2005 by the Social Conditions Research Project of the Jesuit Centre for Theological
Reflection. Average prices were calculated on the basis of prices gathered from retail outlets at Northmead, Town Centre (Shoprite), City
Market, Chawama, Chainda, Kabwata, Matero and schools, clinics/hospitals around Lusaka. The January Basic Needs Basket isapproximately US $285.29 based upon an average middle exchange rate of 4700 Kwacha per US $ at the end of January.

Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection, P.O. Box 37774, 10101 Lusaka, Zambia Tel: 260-1-290-410. Fax: 260-1-290-759
E-mail: socialjctr@zamnet.zm Internet: www.jctr.org.zm

JCTR BASIC NEEDS BASKET: LIVINGSTONEJANUARY 2005
(A) COST OF BASIC FOOD ITEMS FOR A FAMILY OF SIX IN LIVINGSTONE

Commodity

KwachaQuantity

Total

Mealie meal (breakfast)
Beans
Kapenta (Siavonga)
Dry FishMeat (mixed cut)
Eggs
Vegetables (greens)
TomatoOnion
Milk (fresh)
Cooking oil
Bread
Sugar
Salt
Tea (Tips)
Sub-total

35,4004,900
23,00023,30012,800
6,400
1,500
2,900
2,500
7,900
16,200
2,900
4,000
2,800
9,100

3 x 25 Kg bags
2 Kgs
2 Kgs
1 Kg
4 Kgs
2 Units
7.5 Kgs
4 Kgs
4 Kgs
1 x 2 litres2 x 2 litres
1 loaf/day
8 Kgs
1 Kg
1 x 500 g

106,200
9,800
46,00023,30051,20012,800
11,25011,60010,0007,900
32,40087,00032,0002,800
9,100
453,350(B) COST OF ESSENTIAL NON-FOOD ITEMS

Charcoal (50 Kg bag)
Soap (Lifebuoy)
Wash soap (Boom)
Jelly (e.g., Vaseline)
Electricity
Water (medium density)
Housing (3 bedroom)
Sub-total

29,000
1,400
2,900
5,400
100,000
70,000350,000

180 Kgs
10 tablets
4 x 400 g
1 x 500 mL

104,400
14,00011,6005,400
100,000
70,000350,000
655,400

Total for Basic Needs Basket
Totals for previous
months: 2004

Dec

Amount

1,087,750

1,108,750(C) SOME OTHER ADDITIONAL COSTS

Item
Education (PTA per year)
Basic (grades 1-7)
Health (consultation fee)
Transport (bus fare round trip):Dambwa-Town
Marambwa-Town
Victoria Falls-Town

KwachaK30,000-K40,000
K6,000
K4,000
K4,000
K8,000Please note that other costs would include personal care, clothing, recreation, etc.
(D) A COMPARISON OF LIVING COSTS ACROSS ZAMBIA IN JANUARY

Lusaka

Ndola

Kitwe

LuanshyaKabwe

K1,340,840

K988,280

K973,910

K838,410

K842,900thThis survey was conducted on 27 -28th January 2005 by the Social Conditions Research Project of the Jesuit Centre for
Theological Reflection. Average prices were calculated on the basis of surveys conducted at Town Centre Market, Dambwa
Market, Maramba Market, Mbita Market, Elaine Brittel Market and Town Centre Shoprite. Additional information was obtained
from ZESCO, the Livingstone Water and Sewerage Company and schools, clinics and houses around Livingstone.

Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection, P.O. Box 37774, 10101 Lusaka, Zambia Tel: 260-1-290-410. Fax: 260-1-290-759
E-mail: socialjctr@zamnet.zm Internet: www.jctr.org.zm

JCTR BASIC NEEDS BASKET: NDOLAJANUARY 2005
(A) COST OF BASIC FOOD ITEMS FOR A FAMILY OF SIX IN NDOLA

Commodity

KwachaQuantity

Total

Mealie meal (breakfast)
Beans
Kapenta (Mpulungu)
Dry FishMeat (mixed cut)
Eggs
Vegetables (greens)
TomatoOnion
Milk (long-life)
Cooking oil (2.5 litre bottle)
Bread
Sugar
Salt
Tea (Tips)
Sub-total

35,400
7,100
29,00031,30017,300
5,000
1,800
3,700
4,000
2,700
17,300
2,700
4,700
2,100
2,200

3 x 25 Kg bags
2 Kgs
2 Kgs
1 Kg
4 Kgs
2 Units
7.5 Kgs
4 Kgs
4 Kgs
4 x 500 mL
4 litres1 loaf/day
8 Kgs
1 Kg
4 x 125 g

106,200
14,20058,00031,30069,20010,00013,50014,80016,00010,80027,68081,00037,6002,100
8,800
501,180(B) COST OF ESSENTIAL NON-FOOD ITEMS

Charcoal
Soap (Lifebuoy)
Wash soap (Boom)
Jelly (e.g., Vaseline)
Electricity
Water (medium density)
Housing (3 bedroom)
Sub-total

38,300
1,100
2,600
5,100
55,00029,000300,000

2 x 90 Kgs
10 tablets
4 x 400 g
1 x 500 mL

76,60011,00010,4005,100
55,00029,000300,000
487,100

Total for Basic Needs Basket
Totals for previous
months: 2004

Dec

Amount953,130

988,280(C) SOME OTHER ADDITIONAL COSTS

Item
Education (PTA per year)
Basic (grades 1-7)
Basic (grades 8-9)
Health (monthly scheme per person)
Transport (bus fare round trip):
Ndeke-Town
Chifubu-Town
Masala-Town
Mushili-Town

KwachaK32,000
K180,000
K1,000K2,800
K3,000
K3,000
K3,000Please note that other costs would include personal care, clothing, recreation, etc.
(D) A COMPARISON OF LIVING COSTS ACROSS ZAMBIA IN JANUARY

LusakaLuanshya

Kitwe

Kabwe

Livingstone

K1,340,840

K838,410

K973,910

K842,900

K1,108,750

thThis survey was conducted on 25 January 2005 by the Social Conditions Research Project of the Jesuit Centre for Theological
Reflection. Average prices were calculated on the basis of surveys conducted at Masala Market, Mushili Market, Lubuto Market,
Chifubu Market and Town Centre Shoprite. Additional information was obtained from ZESCO, the Ndola Water and Sewerage
Company and schools, clinics and houses around Ndola.

Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection, P.O. Box 37774, 10101 Lusaka, Zambia Tel: 260-1-290-410. Fax: 260-1-290-759
E-mail: socialjctr@zamnet.zm Internet: www.jctr.org.zm

JCTR BASIC NEEDS BASKET: KITWE
JANUARY 2005
(A) COST OF BASIC FOOD ITEMS FOR A FAMILY OF SIX IN KITWE

Commodity

KwachaQuantity

Total

Mealie meal (breakfast)
Beans
Kapenta (Mpulungu)
Dry FishMeat (mixed cut)
Eggs
Vegetables (greens)
TomatoOnion
Milk (long-life)
Cooking oil (2.5 litre bottle)
Bread
Sugar
Salt
Tea (Tips)
Sub-total

35,3007,000
22,50026,30017,500
5,000
1,700
3,200
3,900
2,700
17,100
2,700
4,700
2,100
2,000

3 x 25 Kg bags
2 Kgs
2 Kgs
1 Kg
4 Kgs
2 Units
7.5 Kgs
4 Kgs
4 Kgs
4 x 500 mL
4 litres1 loaf/day
8 Kgs
1 Kg
4 x 125 g

105,900
14,00045,00026,30070,00010,00012,75012,80015,60010,80027,36081,00037,6002,100
8,000
479,210(B) COST OF ESSENTIAL NON-FOOD ITEMS

Charcoal
Soap (Lifebuoy)
Wash soap (Boom)
Jelly (e.g., Vaseline)
Electricity
Water (medium density)
Housing (3 bedroom)
Sub-total

37,900
1,100
2,600
5,000
52,50040,000300,000

2 x 90 Kgs
10 tablets
4 x 400 g
1 x 500 mL

75,80011,00010,4005,000
52,50040,000300,000
494,700

Total for Basic Needs Basket
Totals for previous
months: 2004

Dec

Amount944,910

973,910(C) SOME OTHER ADDITIONAL COSTS

Item
Education (PTA per year)
Basic (grades 1-7)
Basic (grades 8-9)
Health (consultation fee)
Transport (bus fare round trip):
Chamboli-Town
Nakadoli-Town
Chimwemwe-Town

KwachaK32,000
K180,000
K1,000
K3,000K4,500K4,500Please note that other costs would include personal care, clothing, recreation, etc.
(D) A COMPARISON OF LIVING COSTS ACROSS ZAMBIA IN JANUARY

LusakaNdola

Luanshya

Kabwe

Livingstone

K1,340,840

K988,280

K838,410

K842,900

K1,108,750

thThis survey was conducted on 26 January 2005 by the Social Conditions Research Project of the Jesuit Centre for Theological
Reflection. Average prices were calculated on the basis of surveys conducted at Chamboli Market, Nakadoli Market,
Chimwemwe Market, Chisokone Market and Town Centre Shoprite. Additional information was obtained from ZESCO, the Kitwe
Water and Sewerage Company and schools, clinics and houses around Kitwe.

Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection, P.O. Box 37774, 10101 Lusaka, Zambia Tel: 260-1-290-410. Fax: 260-1-290-759
E-mail: socialjctr@zamnet.zm Internet: www.jctr.org.zm

JCTR BASIC NEEDS BASKET: LUANSHYAJANUARY 2005
(A) COST OF BASIC FOOD ITEMS FOR A FAMILY OF SIX IN LUANSHYA

Commodity

KwachaQuantity

Total

Mealie meal (breakfast)
Beans
Kapenta (Mpulungu)
Dry FishMeat (mixed cut)
Eggs
Vegetables (greens)
TomatoOnion
Milk (long-life)
Cooking oil (2.5 litre bottle)
Bread
Sugar
Salt
Tea (Tips)
Sub-total

35,2003,500
38,50041,30015,900
6,000
2,300
3,900
4,800
2,600
18,100
2,400
3,800
1,500
4,900

3 x 25 Kg bags
2 Kgs
2 Kgs
1 Kg
4 Kgs
2 Units
7.5 Kgs
4 Kgs
4 Kgs
4 x 500 mL
4 litres1 loaf/day
8 Kgs
1 Kg
2 x 250 g

105,600
7,000
77,00041,30063,60012,00017,25015,60019,20010,40028,96072,00030,4001,500
9,800
511,610(B) COST OF ESSENTIAL NON-FOOD ITEMS

Charcoal (25 Kg bag)
Soap (Lifebuoy)
Wash soap (Boom)
Jelly (e.g., Vaseline)
Electricity
Water (medium density)
Housing (3 bedroom)
Sub-total

10,500
1,100
2,500
5,200
40,00035,000150,000

180 Kgs
10 tablets
4 x 400 g
1 x 500 mL

75,60011,00010,000
5,200
40,00035,000150,000
326,800

Total for Basic Needs Basket
Totals for previous
months: 2004

Dec

Amount794,580

838,410(C) SOME OTHER ADDITIONAL COSTS

Item
Education (PTA per year)
Basic (grades 1-7)
Basic (grades 8-9)
Health (consultation fee)
Transport (bus fare round trip):
Mpatamatu-Town
Kalala-Roan
Roan-Town

KwachaK20,000-K40,000
K75,000-K85,000
K1,500K2,800
K1,100K2,500Please note that other costs would include personal care, clothing, recreation, etc.
(D) A COMPARISON OF LIVING COSTS ACROSS ZAMBIA IN JANUARY

Lusaka

Ndola

Kitwe

Kabwe

Livingstone

K1,340,840

K988,280

K973,910

K842,900

K1,108,750

thThis survey was conducted on 27 -28th January 2005 by the Social Conditions Research Project of the Jesuit Centre for
Theological Reflection. Average prices were calculated on the basis of surveys conducted at Mpatamatu Market, Buseko Market,
Roan Market, Mikomfwa Market and Town Centre Shoprite. Additional information was obtained from ZESCO, the Luanshya
Water and Sewerage Company and schools, clinics and houses around Luanshya.

Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection, P.O. Box 37774, 10101 Lusaka, Zambia Tel: 260-1-290-410. Fax: 260-1-290-759
E-mail: socialjctr@zamnet.zm Internet: www.jctr.org.zm

JCTR BASIC NEEDS BASKET: KABWEJANUARY 2005
(A) COST OF BASIC FOOD ITEMS FOR A FAMILY OF SIX IN KABWE

Commodity

KwachaQuantity

Total

Mealie meal (breakfast)
Beans
Kapenta (Mpulungu)
Dry FishMeat (mixed cut)
Eggs
Vegetables (greens)
TomatoOnion
Milk (long-life)
Cooking oil (2.5 litre bottle)
Bread
Sugar
Salt
Tea (Tips)
Sub-total

33,0005,000
6,500
19,30015,500
6,000
2,000
4,500
5,100
2,900
16,800
2,500
3,800
1,500
10,7003 x 25 Kg bags
2 Kgs
2 Kgs
1 Kg
4 Kgs
2 Units
7.5 Kgs
4 Kgs
4 Kgs
4 x 500 mL
4 litres1 loaf/day
8 Kgs
1 Kg
500 g

99,00010,00013,00019,30062,00012,00015,00018,00020,40011,60026,88075,00030,4001,500
10,700424,780(B) COST OF ESSENTIAL NON-FOOD ITEMS

Charcoal (50 Kg bag)
Soap (Lifebuoy)
Wash soap (Boom)
Jelly (e.g., Vaseline)
Electricity
Water (medium density)
Housing (3 bedroom)
Sub-total

15,200
1,200
2,800
5,200
50,00035,000250,000

180 Kgs
10 tablets
4 x 400 g
1 x 500 mL

54,72012,000
11,2005,200
50,00035,000250,000
418,120

Total for Basic Needs Basket
Totals for previous
months: 2004

Dec

Amount828,980

842,900(C) SOME OTHER ADDITIONAL COSTS

Item
Education (PTA per year)
Basic (grades 1-7)
Health (hospital clinics daily fee)
Transport (bus fare round trip):Lukanga-Town
Ngongu-Town
Mine-Town

KwachaK50,000
K2,000K2,400K3,200
K4,000Please note that other costs would include personal care, clothing, recreation, etc.
(D) A COMPARISON OF LIVING COSTS ACROSS ZAMBIA IN JANUARY

LusakaNdola

Luanshya

Kitwe

Livingstone

K1,340,840

K988,280

K838,410

K973,910

K1,108,750

ththThis survey was conducted on 26 – 27 January 2005 by the Social Conditions Research Project of the Jesuit Centre for
Theological Reflection. Average prices were calculated on the basis of surveys conducted at Kamnda Market, Katondo Market,
Nakoli Market, Lukanga Market and Town Centre Shoprite. Additional information was obtained from ZESCO, the Kabwe Waterand Sewerage Company and schools, clinics and houses around Kabwe.

Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection, P.O. Box 37774, 10101 Lusaka, Zambia Tel: 260-1-290-410. Fax: 260-1-290-759
E-mail: socialjctr@zamnet.zm Internet: www.jctr.org.zm

Appendix C: Data and Graphs
x 1991-2001 Lusaka Food Basket Data and Graphx 2002-Present Lusaka Basic Needs Basket Data and Graphs
x 2005-Present Expanded Urban Basic Needs Basket Dataand Graphs

JCTR Food Basket (1991-2001): The Cost of Basic Items for a Family of Six Living in Lusaka

Mar-91
Apr-91Jan-93Apr-93Jun-94
Jul-94Aug-94
Dec-94Mar-95
Apr-95
Sep-95Oct-95
Nov-95
Dec-95Jan-96
Feb-96
Mar-96
Apr-96May-96
Jun-96
Jul-96
Aug-96
Sep-96Oct-96
Nov-96
Dec-96
Jan-97
Feb-97
Mar-97
Apr-97May-97
Jun-97
Jul-97
Aug-97
Sep-97
Oct-97
Nov-97
Dec-97
Jan-98
Feb-98Mar-98Apr-98May-98
Jun-98
Jul-98
Aug-98
Sep-98Oct-98
Nov-98Dec-98Jan-99Feb-99Mar-99Apr-99May-99Jun-99Jul-99Aug-99
Sep-99Oct-99
Nov-99Dec-99
Jan-00
Feb-00Mar-00
Apr-00
May-00
Jun-00Jul-00Aug-00
Sep-00
Oct-00
Nov-00
Dec-00
Jan-01
Feb-01Mar-01
Apr-01
May-01
Jun-01
Jul-01
Aug-01
Sep-01
Oct-01
Nov-01
Dec-01

Food Basket
Total(Kwacha)
6,375
6,365
31,07549,360104,800
104,800
102,744
137,566
145,280
146,125
153,100
158,237
165,237
161,786
170,592
185,580
188,163
192,420
184,172
182,750
176,660
179,548
175,540
179,980
177,620
189,260
197,700
194,200
197,100
195,700
192,000
175,500
176,000
172,800
174,350
179,600
182,800
183,450
186,950
190,350
194,550
197,550
198,200
201,200
206,150
215,350
218,800
218,520
220,380
230,920
240,920
244,810
252,160
252,740
251,770
251,890
250,660
243,100
239,840
242,790
241,480
257,480
263,370
265,320
272,810273,790269,920
277,870
277,475
272,305
278,375
290,310
290,595
312,695
319,870
328,080
335,300
340,720
329,400
328,570
332,520
348,500
357,300
358,400
377,300
379,390

Average
MarketExchange
Rate*
73.53
76.92

688.16687.73681.13694.47810.81816.39945.75945.39944.43
944.56991.501,043.05
1,143.91
1,242.64
1,240.51
1,251.34
1,269.61
1,270.29
1,268.49
1,272.26
1,276.31
1,288.26
1,292.10
1,296.26
1,297.56
1,297.02
1,298.96
1,306.73
1,318.56
1,320.60
1,322.03
1,331.26
1,363.44
1,403.49
1,467.52
1,549.54
1,664.47
1,767.47
1,854.28
1,915.73
1,942.65
1,948.94
1,966.35
2,025.37
2,126.95
2,305.52
2,423.19
2,323.23
2,269.34
2,374.23
2,434.83
2,463.67
2,470.76
2,435.52
2,416.23
2,435.61
2,489.37
2,634.78
2,694.21
2,773.49
2,785.82
2,840.51
2,892.10
2,969.98
3,112.25
3,237.69
3,272.41
3,381.38
3,654.95
4,148.78
4,031.22
3,615.30

3,373.57
3,100.68
3,308.21
3,599.19
3,699.90
3,592.90
3,683.39
3,747.48
3,825.34
3,857.60

MealieFood Basket
Meal
Total
3 x (25 kg
(US$)
bags)
86.70
82.75

152.29152.39150.84198.09179.18178.99161.88167.38174.96171.28172.05177.92
164.49154.85148.46146.04139.15141.34138.39141.46139.17146.91153.01149.82151.90150.88147.81134.30133.48130.85131.88134.91134.07130.71
127.39122.84116.88111.77106.89105.03106.12110.50111.27107.89103.61
100.1699.42
105.37111.12106.45103.40102.24
101.45
99.81
99.26
99.68
97.00
97.72
97.75
95.66
97.93
96.39
93.33
93.56
89.16
84.10
85.07
85.86
79.51
75.37
79.35
90.75
99.39
109.89
99.57
91.29
89.87
97.00
97.00
95.64
98.63
98.35

30,00030,00030,00030,00030,00030,00030,00030,00033,00039,00043,50045,00046,50048,00051,00051,00049,50049,50049,50049,80049,50047,25050,70056,40058,35058,44059,37057,96057,99055,83052,71046,26046,02047,43047,70051,90054,81056,40058,74060,18057,60056,04053,94051,90052,27552,29049,87548,07553,85054,00053,70054,00051,90052,35061,05072,30072,90075,00087,30086,190Charcoal
2 x (90 kg
bags)

CookingOil
2 x (2.5
litres)

17,00016,00014,00013,00013,00013,00013,00013,00010,00010,00010,00010,00013,00013,00013,00013,00013,00012,00012,00013,00013,00013,00012,00012,00013,00013,00014,00014,00014,00014,00015,66015,66014,82014,40014,40015,20015,60015,80014,90014,45014,45020,00020,00020,00020,00020,00020,00020,00020,00026,00038,00039,00035,00034,00030,00028,60028,00026,00024,00026,00012,80011,00012,00013,20012,00015,00015,00015,00013,45013,45013,05013,00014,00014,00014,00014,00017,00018,00020,00022,00022,00022,00022,00022,10025,36027,40027,64027,64027,17027,17025,58024,78022,38022,78022,12021,36021,12021,12022,36022,36022,69022,00020,00020,00020,00021,60023,32026,80025,80026,40024,00025,90024,00024,00023,20024,40025,20026,00026,20026,600Vegetables

Meat(Brisket)

Sugar

Salt

8 kgs

Eggs
Bread
4 units(40 eggs) 30 loafs

8 kgs

1 kg

Soap
Wash-Soap
Tea(Geisha)(Surf)
Vaseline
2 x (250g)
6 tablets 4 x (500 g) 2 x (100 g)

30 days

57,00057,00057,00057,00057,00036,00036,00036,00036,00036,00036,00036,00036,00036,00036,00036,00036,00036,00036,00036,00036,00036,00036,00039,00042,00042,00045,00045,00045,00045,00045,00045,00045,00045,00045,00045,00045,00045,00045,00045,00045,00045,00045,00045,00045,00045,00045,00045,00045,00045,00045,00045,00045,00045,00045,00045,00045,00045,00045,00045,00027,20028,00032,00028,00028,00028,00027,20025,60028,00028,00026,40026,40026,40028,00028,80028,80028,00028,00027,20028,80031,20031,60031,68032,80030,40030,56030,80031,04031,52031,76032,40032,80033,20034,00035,20045,36047,92044,72045,04045,12044,16043,60044,04045,60044,80046,40046,40049,92053,12054,72056,40057,12059,20056,32056,80060,00063,20064,00068,80072,000

7,800
7,200
7,200
6,400
6,000
6,000
6,000
6,000
6,400
5,600
6,000
6,000
6,000
6,000
6,000
6,000
6,000
6,400
6,800
7,200
7,200
7,000
7,200
7,200
8,240
8,400
8,000
7,600
7,840
8,200
8,320
9,160
9,040
9,000
8,600
9,000
8,480
8,240
8,480
8,480
9,200
10,400
9,720
9,000
9,200
9,200
10,00011,00012,00012,00010,60010,40010,60010,60011,40012,00012,00012,00012,00012,800

8,000
8,000
8,000
11,2009,200
9,200
10,80010,80010,80010,80010,80010,000
8,000
8,000
8,000
8,000
8,000
10,00010,00010,00010,00010,000
9,200
9,600
9,720
9,760
9,920
9,920
10,12010,16010,76010,12010,72010,56010,72010,64011,280
11,48011,56011,96012,06012,40014,16013,76014,20015,92015,84017,04017,60017,76017,60017,60018,00019,20017,80017,80017,60017,80018,40018,800

500
500
500
500
500
500
500
500
500
550
550
550
550
550
550
550
500
500
650
650
700
750
900
800
830
830
830
810
750
650
650
750
720
700
780
700
660
600
550
520
520
750
775
725
800
1,000
800
1,300
1,000
1,100
900
1,300
1,100
1,100
970
1,000
1,000
1,000
1,000
1,000

3,340
2,800
2,600
2,600
2,800
3,000
3,000
3,000
3,000
3,000
3,000
3,000
3,000
3,000
3,000
3,000
3,000
3,000
6,000
8,600
9,000
9,840
9,400
10,12010,50010,40010,50011,00011,00011,12011,38011,45011,14010,88010,82010,82010,70012,94013,12012,84013,09013,38014,31012,10013,30013,90013,20020,76017,50017,50015,30017,50015,00014,80014,00012,60012,80013,80012,60011,60021,00021,00021,00021,00021,00022,50022,50021,00021,00021,00021,00021,00021,00021,00021,00024,00024,00024,00024,00024,00024,00025,20025,50025,50027,00028,50028,50029,25029,40030,00030,00030,00030,00031,50030,60030,30030,00030,00034,50034,50031,80033,00033,00033,00033,00039,00040,50042,00042,00042,00042,00042,00039,00042,00043,50042,00045,00045,00045,00045,000*Monthly Average Market Exchange Rates collected from the Bank of Zambia's record of Commercial Banks' Weighted Retail Average mid-rates from 1991 to 2001

Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection
Social Conditions Research Project
email: socialjctr@zamnet.zm
tel: 260-1-290410
fax: 260-1-290759

4,860
4,500
4,500
4,500
4,500
4,500
4,500
4,500
4,800
4,800
5,100
5,100
5,100
5,400
5,400
5,400
5,400
6,000
6,000
6,600
7,200
6,600
6,600
6,000
6,120
6,120
6,600
6,120
6,300
6,840
6,840
6,660
6,420
6,180
6,060
6,600
6,900
7,380
7,140
7,080
7,230
7,380
8,250
8,220
9,000
9,600
8,700
9,600
10,800
10,200
10,200
9,900
9,000
8,400
7,800
9,600
9,600
9,600
10,200
9,600

6,900
6,900
6,900
6,900
6,600
6,400
6,100
6,000
6,000
6,000
6,000
6,000
6,000
6,000
6,400
6,400
6,400
6,400
6,400
7,000
7,200
7,480
7,400
7,600
7,600
7,600
9,200
10,600
8,880
9,160
9,160
8,540
8,520
8,560
7,680
8,800
9,000
9,800
9,600
9,500
10,36011,52011,68010,40014,80014,40014,96019,20015,80016,80017,20016,80017,60017,60016,80018,00020,00020,00022,00020,000

1,300
1,300
1,400
1,400
1,400
1,400
1,400
1,400
1,400
1,400
1,400
1,400
1,400
1,400
1,400
1,400
1,400
1,400
1,600
1,700
1,800
1,800
1,800
1,800
1,800
1,800
1,800
1,800
1,800
2,000
2,200
1,920
1,860
1,800
1,800
1,800
1,900
1,840
1,820
1,800
1,760
2,400
2,600
2,600
2,000
2,000
2,000
2,000
5,400
4,600
4,400
4,200
4,000
3,200
4,200
5,200
5,000
3,200
4,800
4,800

Kwacha0Jan-9150,000100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

350,000

400,000

Jan-92Jan-93Jan-94Jan-95Jan-97Month

Jan-96

Jan-98(Cost of Basic Items for Family of Six in Lusaka)

Jan-99JCTR Food Basket in Kwacha (1991-2001)

Jan-00

Jan-01US $0
Jan-91

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

110

120

130

140

150

160

170

180

190

200

210

Jan-92Jan-93Jan-94Jan-95Jan-97Month

Jan-96

Jan-98(Cost of Basic Items for Family of Six in Lusaka)

Jan-99JCTR Food Basket in US$ (1991-2001)

Jan-00

Jan-01

829,250
823,510824,600
825,500
814,350
827,950
831,350
821,800
825,100
836,550
863,400
887,550
1,029,150
1,035,300
1,033,750
1,030,850
1,028,650
1,012,100
1,005,400
1,014,500
1,027,450
1,031,700
1,032,800
1,050,400
1,065,900
1,078,750
1,094,100
1,110,150
1,113,900
1,118,700
1,105,100
1,100,200
1,097,100
1,127,500
1,114,800
1,147,840
1,340,840

Essential
Non-Food Items
Sub-Total(Kwacha)504,600
499,000
497,300
499,200
497,200
497,600
497,100
497,300
498,600
497,400
506,400
507,400
628,100
632,500
633,700
647,200
651,700
646,700
648,200
646,800
643,000
641,000
649,000
648,600
656,900
660,200
660,100
659,300
657,500
657,100
658,100
657,500
657,700
658,900
658,600
666,300
847,900

Basic Food
Items
Sub-Total(Kwacha)324,650
324,510327,300
326,300
317,150
330,350
334,250
324,500
326,500
339,150
357,000
380,150
401,050
402,800
400,050
383,650
376,950
365,400
357,200
367,700
384,450
390,700
383,800
401,800
409,000
418,550434,000
450,850
456,400
461,600
447,000
442,700
439,400
468,600
456,200
481,540
492,940

Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection
Social Conditions Research Project
email: socialjctr@zamnet.zm
tel: 260-1-290410
fax: 260-1-290759

Jan-02
Feb-02Mar-02
Apr-02
May-02
Jun-02
Jul-02Aug-02
Sep-02Oct-02
Nov-02
Dec-02Jan-03
Feb-03Mar-03
Apr-03May-03Jun-03
Jul-03Aug-03
Sep-03Oct-03
Nov-03
Dec-03Jan-04Feb-04Mar-04
Apr-04
May-04
Jun-04
Jul-04Aug-04
Sep-04
Oct-04
Nov-04
Dec-04Jan-05

Basic Needs
Basket
Total(Kwacha)108,000
108,900
108,600
102,600
97,200103,500
108,000
108,600
108,000
108,600
118,800
135,000
129,000
136,800
136,200
125,400
109,500
91,50081,00082,80084,00084,00082,50083,10087,00089,70090,60090,00087,00085,80084,60084,00084,60085,50087,90096,60099,000

9,600
8,600
8,600
8,400
8,600
8,600
8,800
8,600
8,400
8,600
9,200
10,60011,60010,60010,00010,0008,600
9,600
10,000
10,20010,40011,00010,40010,40012,00010,00012,00012,0009,600
12,00011,60011,80011,60012,40012,40012,00012,400

Basic Food Items
MealieMeal
Beans
3 x (25 kg
bags)
2 kgs
39,00039,00038,40037,30035,00037,00036,80037,00037,30037,30040,00041,30046,00043,00043,00040,00040,00041,00040,00046,00048,00048,00047,00047,00048,00052,00052,50060,00068,00073,60062,00058,00056,00058,00060,00065,40070,6002 kgs
12,50011,60012,00013,20012,00013,00013,50013,00014,00014,60014,60014,60014,00012,40012,80010,50014,00014,00018,00018,80022,00024,00025,00025,00037,00037,00041,00042,00040,00040,80040,00040,00037,00039,00039,20041,00040,000

1 kg
30,60028,40029,60030,40030,40030,00028,80028,80029,20030,80032,80032,80033,60032,00032,00032,00034,80035,20036,80040,00047,60048,00044,00052,80048,80048,80049,60048,00050,40048,00048,80053,20056,80076,00061,20059,60062,8004 kgs

Meat
Kapenta Dry Fish (Mixed Cut)

Basic Needs Basket (2002-Present): The Cost of Essential Food and Non-Food Items for a Family of Six Living in Lusaka

6,200
6,400
6,000
6,000
6,400
6,200
6,300
6,300
6,800
7,000
7,000
7,800
7,400
7,600
7,600
8,400
8,400
8,600
8,800
9,000
9,600
10,00010,000
10,20010,000
10,200
10,20010,000
10,200
10,200
10,200
10,20010,00010,40010,40010,40010,400Eggs
2 Units(20 eggs)
8,250
8,250
9,000
9,000
10,500
11,250
11,25010,50010,500
11,25012,00012,75017,25013,50012,75012,75012,75012,00012,00012,00012,75012,00012,00018,00015,00017,25016,50017,25019,50021,00021,00016,50018,00015,00015,00018,75018,000

7.5 kgs

Veg.
(Greens)

8,000
6,800
8,000
10,0008,800
12,00011,600
4,800
5,200
6,000
6,000
6,000
16,00015,20012,800
9,200
8,800
8,400
8,000
8,000
10,00010,000
11,20011,600
9,600
8,800
9,600
11,200
11,20010,40010,000
8,000
6,800
9,200
8,800
9,200
10,0004 kgs

Tomato

8,000
8,000
9,600
10,400
9,200
8,400
8,000
5,600
6,000
8,000
8,000
8,000
8,800
8,400
8,400
10,00010,40010,4008,400
10,0009,600
10,000
9,600
9,600
9,200
8,800
9,600
10,40010,80010,00010,000
9,200
8,800
9,600
9,600
9,200
9,600

4 kgs

Onion

4,400
4,600
4,600
4,600
4,600
4,800
5,000
5,000
5,000
5,000
5,200
5,200
5,400
5,600
5,600
6,000
6,400
6,600
6,800
6,600
6,400
6,800
7,000
7,000
7,000
7,200
7,200
7,800
8,400
8,200
8,200
8,200
8,200
8,200
8,900
8,690
8,840

2 litresMilk

21,20022,20022,20023,20022,80024,00024,40024,60024,60026,60028,00029,80032,40034,80036,00034,80035,60040,00036,00032,20032,20034,00032,00034,00032,00034,40032,00038,00036,00037,00036,00036,00034,00036,00034,80036,20036,20043,50046,50045,00045,00045,00045,00045,00045,00045,00048,00048,00048,00051,00054,00054,00054,00057,00057,00060,00060,00060,00060,00060,00060,00060,00060,00066,00063,00063,00063,00063,00066,00066,00066,00066,00072,00072,000

Cooking
Oil
Bread
2x
(2 litres) 30 loafs
18,40018,36018,40020,00020,40020,40020,00020,00020,00020,80020,80021,60022,40022,40022,40024,00024,00024,40024,80024,80024,80025,60025,60025,60025,60026,40027,20030,40030,40029,60029,60029,60029,60031,20030,40031,20031,200

8 kgs

Sugar

1,100
1,100
1,100
1,200
1,250
1,200
1,200
1,200
1,200
1,300
1,300
1,400
1,400
1,500
1,500
1,400
1,400
1,500
1,600
1,600
1,600
1,500
1,500
1,500
1,500
1,900
2,000
2,000
2,100
2,000
2,000
2,000
2,000
2,000
2,000
2,000
2,000

1 kg

Salt

5,900
5,800
6,200
5,000
5,000
5,000
5,600
5,500
5,300
5,300
5,300
5,300
4,800
5,000
5,000
5,200
5,300
5,200
5,000
5,700
5,500
5,800
6,000
6,000
6,300
6,100
8,000
8,800
9,800
10,00010,00010,00010,00010,100
9,600
9,300
9,900

500 g

Tea
(Leaves)

36,00030,00028,00030,00028,00028,40028,00028,00029,20028,00036,00037,00036,60037,00039,20052,00056,00051,00052,00050,00046,00044,00052,00052,00060,00063,20063,20062,00060,40060,00061,00060,00060,00060,40060,00068,00073,200

8,000
8,000
8,000
8,000
8,000
8,000
8,000
8,000
8,000
8,000
9,000
9,000
9,000
13,00012,00012,00012,00012,00012,00012,00012,00012,00012,00012,00012,00012,00012,00012,00012,00012,00012,00012,00012,00012,00012,00012,00012,000

7,600
8,000
8,000
8,000
8,000
8,000
8,000
8,000
8,400
8,000
8,000
8,000
8,000
8,000
8,000
8,000
8,400
8,400
8,800
9,200
9,600
9,600
9,600
9,200
9,600
9,600
9,600
9,600
9,600
9,600
9,600
10,000
10,20010,80010,80010,40010,800

3,000
3,000
3,300
3,200
3,200
3,200
3,100
3,300
3,000
3,400
3,400
3,400
3,500
3,500
3,500
4,200
4,300
4,300
4,400
4,600
4,400
4,400
4,400
4,400
4,300
4,400
4,300
4,700
4,500
4,500
4,500
4,500
4,500
4,700
4,800
4,900
4,900

75,00075,00075,00075,00075,00075,00075,00075,00075,00075,00075,00075,00087,00087,00087,00087,00087,00087,00087,00087,00087,00087,00087,00087,00087,00087,00087,00087,00087,00087,00087,00087,00087,00087,00087,00087,000113,000

Essential Non-Food Items
Soap
Wash-Soap
Charcoal (Lifebuoy)(Paste)
Jelly
Electricity
2 x (90 kg
Mediumbags)
10 tablets 4 x (400 g) 500 mL
Density

25,00025,00025,00025,00025,00025,00025,00025,00025,00025,00025,00025,00034,00034,00034,00034,00034,00034,00034,00034,00034,00034,00034,00034,00034,00034,00034,00034,00034,00034,00034,00034,00034,00034,00034,00034,00034,000Water
MediumDensity

350,000
350,000
350,000
350,000
350,000
350,000
350,000
350,000
350,000
350,000
350,000
350,000
450,000
450,000
450,000
450,000
450,000
450,000
450,000
450,000
450,000
450,000
450,000
450,000
450,000
450,000
450,000
450,000
450,000
450,000
450,000
450,000
450,000
450,000
450,000
450,000
600,000

HousingMediumDensityKwachanJa

02200,000

300,000

400,000

500,000

600,000

700,000

800,000

900,000

1,000,000

1,100,000

1,200,000

1,300,000

1,400,000

ar
M

2
-0

2

l-0
Ju

2
0
pe
S

2
N

-0
ov

2
nJa

03

Total Cost of Basic Needs Basket

-0
ay
M

ar
M

3
-0

3

3

0
pe
S

Month

l-0
Ju

3
N

-0
ov

Cost of Basic Food Items

-0
ay
M

3

04

ar
M

4
-0

-0
ay
M

4

l-0
Ju

4

0
pe
S

4

Cost of Essential Non-Food ItemsnJa(Basic Cost of Living for Family of 6 in Lusaka)

JCTR Basic Needs Basket in Kwacha from 2002-Present

N

-0
ov

4

nJa

05

kwacha

800,000
Jan-02850,000

900,000

950,000

1,000,000

1,050,000

1,100,000

1,150,000

1,200,000

1,250,000

1,300,000

1,350,000

Apr-02

Jul-02Oct-02Jan-03

Apr-03Month

Jul-03Oct-03Jan-04

Apr-04(Cost of Essential Food and Non-Food Itms for Family of 6 in Lusaka)Jul-04

JCTR Basic Needs Basket in Kwacha from 2002-Present

Oct-04Jan-05

Kwacha

300,000
Jan-02350,000

400,000

450,000

500,000

Apr-02

Jul-02Oct-02Jan-03

Apr-03Month

Jul-03Oct-03Jan-04(Cost of Basic Food Items for Family of Six in Lusaka)Apr-04

Jul-04

JCTR Basic Food Basket in Kwacha from 2002-Present

Oct-04Jan-05

Basic Needs Basket (BNB) for Lusaka in US Dollars (2002-Present)MonthJan-02
Feb-02Mar-02
Apr-02
May-02
Jun-02
Jul-02Aug-02
Sep-02Oct-02
Nov-02
Dec-02Jan-03
Feb-03Mar-03
Apr-03May-03Jun-03
Jul-03Aug-03
Sep-03Oct-03
Nov-03
Dec-03Jan-04Feb-04Mar-04
Apr-04
May-04
Jun-04
Jul-04Aug-04
Sep-04
Oct-04
Nov-04
Dec-04Jan-05

Average Market
BNB
Exchange Rate* (Kwacha)
3,964.81
4,111.56
4,217.45
4,075.95
4,179.89
4,416.45
4,504.53
4,497.23
4,493.15
4,575.48
4,783.78
4,797.42
4,535.33
4,970.25
4,891.55
4,864.55
4,793.68
4,802.21
4,792.75
4,705.48
4,768.00
4,758.37
4,753.86
4,581.08
4,765.91
4,764.11
4,722.67
4,735.01
4,754.61
4,833.25
4,789.53
4,791.94
4,862.81
4,901.21
4,804.24
4,655.08
4,791.29

829,250
823,510824,600
825,500
814,350
827,950
831,350
821,800
825,100
836,550
863,400
887,550
1,029,150
1,035,300
1,033,750
1,030,850
1,028,650
1,012,100
1,005,400
1,014,500
1,027,450
1,031,700
1,032,800
1,050,400
1,065,900
1,078,750
1,094,100
1,110,150
1,113,900
1,118,700
1,105,100
1,100,200
1,097,100
1,127,500
1,114,800
1,147,840
1,340,840

BNB
(US$)
209.15200.29195.52202.53194.83
187.47184.56
182.73183.64182.83180.48185.01226.92208.30211.33211.91214.58210.76209.78215.60215.49216.82217.26229.29223.65226.43231.67234.46234.28231.46230.73229.59225.61230.05232.05
246.58279.85

Food Items Food Items Non-Food Items(Kwacha)(US$)(Kwacha)324,650
324,510327,300
326,300
317,150
330,350
334,250
324,500
326,500
339,150
357,000
380,150
401,050
402,800
400,050
383,650
376,950
365,400
357,200
367,700
384,450
390,700
383,800
401,800
409,000
418,550434,000
450,850
456,400
461,600
447,000
442,700
439,400
468,600
456,200
481,540
492,940

81.88
78.93
77.61
80.05
75.88
74.80
74.20
72.16
72.67
74.12
74.63
79.24
88.43
81.04
81.78
78.87
78.63
76.09
74.53
78.14
80.63
82.11
80.73
87.71
85.82
87.85
91.90
95.22
95.99
95.51
93.33
92.38
90.36
95.61
94.96
103.44102.88

Non-Food Items(US$)

504,600
499,000
497,300
499,200
497,200
497,600
497,100
497,300
498,600
497,400
506,400
507,400
628,100
632,500
633,700
647,200
651,700
646,700
648,200
646,800
643,000
641,000
649,000
648,600
656,900
660,200
660,100
659,300
657,500
657,100
658,100
657,500
657,700
658,900
658,600
666,300
847,900*Monthly Average Market Exchange Rates collected from the Bank of Zambia's record of Commercial Banks' Weighted Retail
Average Kwacha-US$ mid-rates from 2002-present

Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection
Social Conditions Research Project
email: socialjctr@zamnet.zm
tel: 260-1-290410
fax: 260-1-290759

127.27121.37117.91
122.47118.95112.67110.36110.58110.97108.71105.86105.77138.49127.26129.55133.04135.95134.67135.25137.46134.86134.71136.52141.58137.83138.58139.77139.24138.29135.95137.40137.21135.25134.44137.09143.13176.97

US$

nJa

02

0.00

50.00

100.00150.00200.00250.00300.00

ar
M

2
-0

2

l-0
Ju

2
0
pe
S

2
N

-0
ov

2
nJa

03
ar
M

Total Cost of Basic Needs Basket

-0
ay
M

3
-0

3

3

0
pe
S

Month

l-0
Ju

3
N

-0
ov

Cost of Basic Food Items

-0
ay
M

3

04

ar
M

4
-0

-0
ay
M

4

l-0
Ju

4

0
pe
S

4

Cost of Essential Non-Food ItemsnJa(Basic Cost of Living for Family of 6 in Lusaka)

JCTR Basic Needs Basket in US$ from 2002-Present

N

-0
ov

4

nJa

05

US$

150
Jan-02

160

170

180

190

200

210

220

230

240

250

260

270

280

290

300

Apr-02

Jul-02Oct-02Jan-03

Apr-03Month

Jul-03Oct-03Jan-04

Apr-04(Cost of Essential Food and Non-Food Itms for Family of 6 in Lusaka)Jul-04

JCTR Basic Needs Basket in US$ from 2002-Present

Oct-04Jan-05US$

60
Jan-02

70

80

90

100

110

120

Apr-02

Jul-02Oct-02Jan-03

Apr-03Month

Jul-03Oct-03Jan-04(Cost of Basic Food Items for Family of Six in Lusaka)Apr-04

Jul-04

JCTR Basic Food Basket in US$ from 2002-Present

Oct-04Jan-05

Appendix D: Analysis
x 2003 Lusaka Basic Needs Basket Data and Analysis
x 2004 Lusaka Basic Needs Basket Data and Analysis
x 1997-Present JCTR Food Basket

Sub-Total

628,100
632,500
633,700
647,200
651,700
646,700
648,200
646,800
643,000
641,000
649,000
648,600

Sub-Total

401,050
402,800
400,050
383,650
376,950
365,400
357,200
367,700
384,450
390,700
383,800
401,800

Total
1,029,150
1,035,300
1,033,750
1,030,850
1,028,650
1,012,100
1,005,400
1,014,500
1,027,450
1,031,700
1,032,800
1,050,400

Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection
Social Conditions Research Project
email: socialjctr@zamnet.zm
tel: 260-1-290410
fax: 260-1-290759

Jan-03
Feb-03Mar-03
Apr-03May-03Jun-03
Jul-03Aug-03
Sep-03Oct-03
Nov-03
Dec-03

Essential
Non-Food Items

Basic Food
Items

Basic Needs
Basket129,000
136,800
136,200
125,400
109,500
91,50081,00082,80084,00084,00082,50083,100

MealieMeal
3 x (25 kg
bags)

11,60010,60010,00010,0008,600
9,600
10,000
10,20010,40011,00010,40010,400

2 kgs

Beans

Basic Food Items

46,00043,00043,00040,00040,00041,00040,00046,00048,00048,00047,00047,0002 kgs
14,00012,40012,80010,50014,00014,00018,00018,80022,00024,00025,00025,000

1 kg
33,60032,00032,00032,00034,80035,20036,80040,00047,60048,00044,00052,8004 kgs

Meat
Kapenta Dry Fish (Mixed Cut)

2003 Basic Needs Basket : The Cost of Essential Food and Non-Food Items for a Family of Six Living in Lusaka

7,400
7,600
7,600
8,400
8,400
8,600
8,800
9,000
9,600
10,00010,000
10,20017,25013,50012,75012,75012,75012,00012,00012,00012,75012,00012,00018,000

Veg.
Eggs(Greens)
2 Units (20eggs)
7.5 kgs
16,00015,20012,800
9,200
8,800
8,400
8,000
8,000
10,00010,000
11,20011,6004 kgs

Tomato

8,800
8,400
8,400
10,00010,40010,4008,400
10,0009,600
10,000
9,600
9,600

4 kgs

Onion

5,400
5,600
5,600
6,000
6,400
6,600
6,800
6,600
6,400
6,800
7,000
7,000

2 litresMilk

32,40034,80036,00034,80035,60040,00036,00032,20032,20034,00032,00034,00051,00054,00054,00054,00057,00057,00060,00060,00060,00060,00060,00060,000

Cooking
Oil
Bread
2x
(2 litres) 30 loafs
22,40022,40022,40024,00024,00024,40024,80024,80024,80025,60025,60025,600

8 kgs

Sugar

1,400
1,500
1,500
1,400
1,400
1,500
1,600
1,600
1,600
1,500
1,500
1,500

1 kg

Salt

4,800
5,000
5,000
5,200
5,300
5,200
5,000
5,700
5,500
5,800
6,000
6,000

500 g

Tea
(Leaves)

36,60037,00039,20052,00056,00051,00052,00050,00046,00044,00052,00052,000Charcoal
2 x (90 kg
bags)

9,000
13,00012,00012,00012,00012,00012,00012,00012,00012,00012,00012,000

10 tablets

Jelly

8,000
8,000
8,000
8,000
8,400
8,400
8,800
9,200
9,600
9,600
9,600
9,200

3,500
3,500
3,500
4,200
4,300
4,300
4,400
4,600
4,400
4,400
4,400
4,400

4 x (400 g) 500 mL

Soap
Wash-Soap(Lifebuoy)(Paste)Essential Non-Food Items

87,00087,00087,00087,00087,00087,00087,00087,00087,00087,00087,00087,000Electricity
MediumDensity

34,00034,00034,00034,00034,00034,00034,00034,00034,00034,00034,00034,000Water
MediumDensity450,000
450,000
450,000
450,000
450,000
450,000
450,000
450,000
450,000
450,000
450,000
450,000

HousingMediumDensitykwacha

1,000,000
Jan-03

1,010,000

1,020,000

1,030,000

1,040,000

1,050,000

1,060,000

Feb-03Mar-03

Apr-03May-03

Jul-03Month

Jun-03Aug-03

Sep-03(Cost of Essential Food and Non-Food Itms for Family of 6 in Lusaka)

2003 JCTR Basic Needs Basket in Kwacha

Oct-03

Nov-03

Dec-03

Kwacha

350,000
Jan-03360,000

370,000

380,000

390,000

400,000

410,000

Feb-03Mar-03

Apr-03May-03

Jul-03Month

Jun-03Aug-03

Sep-03(Cost of Basic Food Items for Family of Six in Lusaka)

2003 JCTR Basic Food Basket in Kwacha

Oct-03

Nov-03

Dec-03

4,535.33
4,970.25
4,891.55
4,864.55
4,793.68
4,802.21
4,792.75
4,705.48
4,768.00
4,758.37
4,753.86
4,581.08
4,768.09

Month

Jan-03
Feb-03Mar-03
Apr-03May-03Jun-03
Jul-03Aug-03
Sep-03Oct-03
Nov-03
Dec-03
Average
1,027,671

1,029,150
1,035,300
1,033,750
1,030,850
1,028,650
1,012,100
1,005,400
1,014,500
1,027,450
1,031,700
1,032,800
1,050,400

BNB(Kwacha)226.92208.30211.33211.91214.58210.76209.78215.60215.49216.82217.26229.29215.67

BNB(US$)

384,629

401,050
402,800
400,050
383,650
376,950
365,400
357,200
367,700
384,450
390,700
383,800
401,800

Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection
Social Conditions Research Project
email: socialjctr@zamnet.zm
tel: 260-1-290410
fax: 260-1-290759

Commercial Banks' Weighted Retail Average Kwacha-US$ mid-rates for 2003

88.43
81.04
81.78
78.87
78.63
76.09
74.53
78.14
80.63
82.11
80.73
87.71
80.72

Food Items Food Items(Kwacha)(US$)*Monthly Average Market Exchange Rates collected from the Bank of Zambia's record of

Average Market
Exchange Rate*2003 Basic Needs Basket (BNB) for Lusaka in US Dollars

US$

200
Jan-03

210

220

230

240

Feb-03Mar-03

Apr-03May-03

Jul-03Month

Jun-03Aug-03

Sep-03(Cost of Essential Food and Non-Food Itms for Family of 6 in Lusaka)

2003 JCTR Basic Needs Basket in US$

Oct-03

Nov-03

Dec-03US$

70
Jan-03

75

80

85

90

Feb-03Mar-03

Apr-03May-03

Jul-03Month

Jun-03Aug-03

Sep-03(Cost of Basic Food Items for Family of Six in Lusaka)

2003 JCTR Basic Food Basket in US$

Oct-03

Nov-03

Dec-03

21.06%21.53%
20.00%
16.16%
17.23%
10.08%
6.64%
12.48%
16.30%
14.13%
7.24%
5.54%
14.03%
20.86%
19.25%
17.82%
14.50%
11.32%
9.73%
11.85%
14.32%
12.50%
8.88%
14.10%

5.35%
0.44%-0.69%-4.19%-1.76%-3.11%-2.27%
2.90%
4.45%
1.61%
-1.78%
4.58%
0.46%

5.59%
3.94%
1.67%
-1.46%-2.20%-3.03%-2.38%-0.84%
1.73%
2.97%
1.40%
1.49%
0.74%

Year-on-Year
Month-to-Month
Inflation (Based on
Inflation (Based on
Year-on-Year Rolling Quarterly Month-to-Month Rolling-Quarterly
Inflation
Average)
Inflation
Average)Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection
Social Conditions Research Project
email: socialjctr@zamnet.zm
tel: 260-1-290410
fax: 260-1-290759

Jan-03401,050
379,400
Feb-03402,800
394,667
Mar-03400,050
401,300
Apr-03
383,650
395,500
May-03376,950
386,883
Jun-03
365,400
375,333
Jul-03357,200
366,517Aug-03367,700
363,433
Sep-03
384,450
369,783
Oct-03
390,700
380,950
Nov-03383,800
386,317
Dec-03401,800
392,100
Average Inflation Levels for 2004

Month

Basic Food
Basket(Kwacha)Rolling
Quarterly
Average(Kwacha)2003 Food Inflation Levels Based Upon Basic Food Items in the JCTR Basic Needs Basket for Lusaka

Inflation

0.00%
Jan-035.00%

10.00%

15.00%

20.00%

25.00%

Feb-03Mar-03

Apr-03May-03

Jul-03Month

Jun-03Aug-03

Sep-03Oct-03(Based Upon Basic Food Items in the JCTR Basic Needs Basket for Lusaka)

Year-on-Year Food Inflation in 2003

Nov-03

Dec-03

Sub-Total

656,900
660,200
660,100
659,300
657,500
657,100
658,100
657,500
657,700
658,900
658,600
666,300

Sub-Total

409,000
418,550434,000
450,850
456,400
461,600
447,000
442,700
439,400
468,600
456,200
481,540

Total
1,065,900
1,078,750
1,094,100
1,110,150
1,113,900
1,118,700
1,105,100
1,100,200
1,097,100
1,127,500
1,114,800
1,147,840

Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection
Social Conditions Research Project
email: socialjctr@zamnet.zm
tel: 260-1-290410
fax: 260-1-290759

Jan-04Feb-04Mar-04
Apr-04
May-04
Jun-04
Jul-04Aug-04
Sep-04
Oct-04
Nov-04
Dec-04

Essential
Non-Food Items

Basic Food
Items

Basic Needs
Basket87,00089,70090,60090,00087,00085,80084,60084,00084,60085,50087,90096,600

MealieMeal
3 x (25 kg
bags)

12,00010,00012,00012,0009,600
12,00011,60011,80011,60012,40012,40012,000

2 kgs

Beans

Basic Food Items

48,00052,00052,50060,00068,00073,60062,00058,00056,00058,00060,00065,4002 kgs
37,00037,00041,00042,00040,00040,80040,00040,00037,00039,00039,20041,000

1 kg
48,80048,80049,60048,00050,40048,00048,80053,20056,80076,00061,20059,6004 kgs

Meat
Kapenta Dry Fish (Mixed Cut)

2004 Basic Needs Basket : The Cost of Essential Food and Non-Food Items for a Family of Six Living in Lusaka

10,000
10,200
10,20010,000
10,200
10,200
10,200
10,20010,00010,40010,40010,40015,00017,25016,50017,25019,50021,00021,00016,50018,00015,00015,00018,750

Veg.
Eggs(Greens)
2 Units (20eggs)
7.5 kgs
9,600
8,800
9,600
11,200
11,20010,40010,000
8,000
6,800
9,200
8,800
9,200

4 kgs

Tomato

9,200
8,800
9,600
10,40010,80010,00010,000
9,200
8,800
9,600
9,600
9,200

4 kgs

Onion

7,000
7,200
7,200
7,800
8,400
8,200
8,200
8,200
8,200
8,200
8,900
8,690

2 litresMilk

32,00034,40032,00038,00036,00037,00036,00036,00034,00036,00034,80036,20060,00060,00066,00063,00063,00063,00063,00066,00066,00066,00066,00072,000

Cooking
Oil
Bread
2x
(2 litres) 30 loafs
25,60026,40027,20030,40030,40029,60029,60029,60029,60031,20030,40031,200

8 kgs

Sugar

1,500
1,900
2,000
2,000
2,100
2,000
2,000
2,000
2,000
2,000
2,000
2,000

1 kg

Salt

6,300
6,100
8,000
8,800
9,800
10,00010,00010,00010,00010,100
9,600
9,300

500 g

Tea
(Leaves)

60,00063,20063,20062,00060,40060,00061,00060,00060,00060,40060,00068,000Charcoal
2 x (90 kg
bags)

12,00012,00012,00012,00012,00012,00012,00012,00012,00012,00012,00012,000

10 tablets

Jelly

9,600
9,600
9,600
9,600
9,600
9,600
9,600
10,000
10,20010,80010,80010,400

4,300
4,400
4,300
4,700
4,500
4,500
4,500
4,500
4,500
4,700
4,800
4,900

4 x (400 g) 500 mL

Soap
Wash-Soap(Lifebuoy)(Paste)Essential Non-Food Items

87,00087,00087,00087,00087,00087,00087,00087,00087,00087,00087,00087,000Electricity
MediumDensity

34,00034,00034,00034,00034,00034,00034,00034,00034,00034,00034,00034,000Water
MediumDensity450,000
450,000
450,000
450,000
450,000
450,000
450,000
450,000
450,000
450,000
450,000
450,000

HousingMediumDensitykwacha

1,050,000
Jan-04

1,060,000

1,070,000

1,080,000

1,090,000

1,100,000

1,110,000

1,120,000

1,130,000

1,140,000

1,150,000

Feb-04Mar-04

Apr-04

May-04

Jul-04Month

Jun-04Aug-04

Sep-04(Cost of Essential Food and Non-Food Itms for Family of 6 in Lusaka)

2004 JCTR Basic Needs Basket in Kwacha

Oct-04

Nov-04

Dec-04

Kwacha

400,000
Jan-04410,000

420,000

430,000

440,000

450,000

460,000

470,000

480,000

490,000

Feb-04Mar-04

Apr-04

May-04

Jul-04Month

Jun-04Aug-04

Sep-04(Cost of Basic Food Items for Family of Six in Lusaka)

2004 JCTR Basic Food Basket in Kwacha

Oct-04

Nov-04

Dec-04

4,765.91
4,764.11
4,722.67
4,735.01
4,754.61
4,833.25
4,789.53
4,791.94
4,862.81
4,901.21
4,804.24
4,655.08
4,781.70

MonthJan-04Feb-04Mar-04
Apr-04
May-04
Jun-04
Jul-04Aug-04
Sep-04
Oct-04
Nov-04
Dec-04
Average
1,106,170

1,065,900
1,078,750
1,094,100
1,110,150
1,113,900
1,118,700
1,105,100
1,100,200
1,097,100
1,127,500
1,114,800
1,147,840

BNB(Kwacha)223.65226.43231.67234.46234.28231.46230.73229.59225.61230.05232.05
246.58231.38BNB(US$)

447,153

409,000
418,550434,000
450,850
456,400
461,600
447,000
442,700
439,400
468,600
456,200
481,540

Food Items(Kwacha)Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection
Social Conditions Research Project
email: socialjctr@zamnet.zm
tel: 260-1-290410
fax: 260-1-290759

Commercial Banks' Weighted Retail Average Kwacha-US$ mid-rates for 2004

*Monthly Average Market Exchange Rates collected from the Bank of Zambia's record of

Average Market
Exchange Rate*

2004 Basic Needs Basket (BNB) for Lusaka in US Dollars*

85.82
87.85
91.90
95.22
95.99
95.51
93.33
92.38
90.36
95.61
94.96
103.44
93.53

Food Items
(US$)

US$

200
Jan-04

210

220

230

240

250

Feb-04Mar-04

Apr-04

May-04

Jul-04Month

Jun-04Aug-04

Sep-04(Cost of Essential Food and Non-Food Itms for Family of 6 in Lusaka)

2004 JCTR Basic Needs Basket in US$

Oct-04

Nov-04

Dec-04

US$

80
Jan-04

85

90

95

100

105

110

Feb-04Mar-04

Apr-04

May-04

Jul-04Month

Jun-04Aug-04

Sep-04(Cost of Basic Food Items for Family of Six in Lusaka)

2004 JCTR Basic Food Basket in US$

Oct-04

Nov-04

Dec-04

1.96%
3.84%
8.14%
16.11%
19.07%
23.26%
22.33%
18.51%
13.34%
18.13%
17.24%
18.05%
15.00%

Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection
Social Conditions Research Project
email: socialjctr@zamnet.zm
tel: 260-1-290410
fax: 260-1-290759

Jan-04
409,000
398,200
Feb-04
418,550
409,783
Mar-04434,000
420,517
Apr-04450,850
434,467
May-04456,400
447,083
Jun-04
461,600
456,283
Jul-04
447,000
455,000
Aug-04
442,700
450,433
Sep-04439,400
443,033
Oct-04
468,600
450,233
Nov-04456,200
454,733
Dec-04
481,540
468,780
Average Inflation Levels for 2004

Month

Basic Food
Basket(Kwacha)
4.84%
3.76%
4.68%
9.39%
14.44%
19.47%
21.54%
21.38%
18.02%
16.67%
16.27%
17.81%
14.02%

1.78%
2.31%
3.62%
3.81%
1.22%
1.13%
-3.21%-0.97%-0.75%
6.43%-2.68%
5.40%
1.51%

1.54%
2.87%
2.59%
3.26%
2.86%
2.04%
-0.28%-1.01%-1.66%
1.61%
0.99%
3.04%
1.49%

RollingYear-on-Year
Month-to-Month
Quarterly
Inflation (Based on
Inflation (Based on
Average Year-on-Year Rolling Quarterly Month-to-Month Rolling-Quarterly(Kwacha)Inflation
Average)
Inflation
Average)2004 Food Inflation Levels Based Upon Basic Food Items in the JCTR Basic Needs Basket for Lusaka

Inflation

0.00%
Jan-045.00%

10.00%

15.00%

20.00%

25.00%

Feb-04Mar-04

Apr-04

May-04

Jul-04Month

Jun-04Aug-04

Sep-04

Oct-04(Based Upon Basic Food Items in the JCTR Basic Needs Basket for Lusaka)

Year-on-Year Food Inflation in 2004

Nov-04

Dec-04JCTR Food Basket (1997-Present)*
Food Basket
Total
Jan-97
197,700
eFb-97
194,200
ar-97
M
197,100
Apr-97
195,700
ay-97
M
192,000
Jun-97
175,500
Jul-97
176,000
Aug-97
172,800
Sep-97
174,350
ct-97
O
179,600
o-v97
N1820,80
Dec-97
183,450Jan-98
186
,950
eb-98
F
190,350
ar-98
M
194,550
Apr-98
197,550
ay-98
M
198,200
Jun-98201,200
Jul-98206,150
Aug-98215,350
Sep-98
218,8
00
ct-98
O
218,520o-v98
N220,380
Dec-98230,920
Jan-99240,920
eb-99
F244,810
ar-99
M252,160
Apr-99252,740
ay-99
M
251,770
Jun-99251,890
Jul-99250,60Aug-99243,100
Sep-99239,840
ct-99
O242,790o-v99
N241,480
Dec-99257,480Jan-00263,370eb-00
F265,320ar-00
M
272,810Apr-00273,790ay-00
M
269,920
Jun-00277,870
Jul-00277,475
Aug-00272,305
Sep-00278,375
ct-00
O
290,310o-v00
N290,595
Dec-00312,695
Jan-01
319,870eb-01
F328,008
ar-01
M
335,300
Apr-01
340,720ay-01
M329,400
Jun-01
328,570
Jul-01
332,520
Aug-01
348,500
Sep-01
357,300
ct-01
O
358,400
ov-01
N
377,300
Dec-01
379,390Jan-02
eb-02
F
ar-02
M

Charcoal

Soap(Geisha)Wash-Soap(Surf)

Vaseline

17,000
4,860
6,900
1,300
16,000
4,500
6,900
1,300
14,000
4,500
6,900
1,400
13,000
4,500
6,900
1,400
13,000
4,500
6,00
1,400
13,000
4,500
6,400
1,400
13,000
4,500
6,100
1,400
13,000
4,500
6,000
1,400
10,000
4,800
6,000
1,400
10,000
4,800
6,000
1,400
10,000
5,100
6,000
1,400
10,000
5,100
6,000
1,400
13,000
5,100
6,000
1,400
13,000
5,400
6,000
1,400
13,000
5,400
6,400
1,400
13,000
5,400
6,400
1,400
13,000
5,400
6,400
1,400
12,000
6,000
6,400
1,400
12,000
6,000
6,400
1,600
13,000
6,00
7,000
1,700
13,000
7,200
7,200
1,800
13,000
6,00
7,480
1,800
12,000
6,00
7,400
1,800
12,000
6,000
7,600
1,800
13,000
6,120
7,600
1,800
13,000
6,120
7,600
1,800
14,000
6,00
9,200
1,800
14,000
6,120
10,6001,800
14,000
6,300
8,0
1,800
14,000
6,840
9,160
2,000
15,60
6,840
9,160
2,200
15,60
6,0
,5840
1,920
14,820
6,420
8,520
1,86
0
14,400
6,180
8,506
1,800
14,400
6,006
7,680
1,800
15,200
6,00
8,00
1,800
15,600
6,900
9,000
1,900
15,800
7,380
9,800
1,840
14,900
7,140
9,600
1,820
14,450
7,080
9,500
1,800
14,4507,230
10,3601,760
20,0007,380
11,5202,400
20,000
8,250
11,68
0
2,060
20,0008,220
10,4002,600
20,0009,000
14,8002,000
20,0009,600
14,4002,000
20,0008,700
14,9602,000
20,0009,600
19,2002,000
20,00010,80015,8005,400
26,000
10,20016,8004,600
38,000
10,20017,2004,400
39,000
9,900
16,8
00
4,200
35,0009,000
17,6004,000
34,0008,400
17,6003,200
30,000
7,800
16,8
00
4,200
28,6009,600
18,0005,200
28,0009,600
20,0005,000
26,0009,600
20,0003,200
24,000
10,20022,0004,800
26,0009,600
20,0004,800

JCTR
Average Market JCTR Food
Food Basket Exchange Rate** Basket (US $)167,640
165,500
170,300
169,900
166,500
150,200
151,000
147,900
152,150
157,400
160,300
160,950
161,450
164,550
168,350
171,350
172,000
175,400
180,150
187,050
189,600
189,640
192,580
203,520
212,400
216,290
220,560
220,220
220,790
219,890
216,800
210,320
208,220
211,850
211,540
225,080
229,970
230,500
239,350
240,960
236,120
236,570
234,945
231,085
232,575
244,310
244,935
261,895
267,870
270,480
265,500
270,820
263,800
265,370
273,720
287,100
294,700
299,600
316,300
318,990324,650
324,510327,300

1,292.10
1,296.26
1,297.56
1,297.02
1,298.96
1,306.73
1,318.56
1,320.60
1,322.03
1,331.26
1,363.44
1,403.49
1,467.52
1,549.54
1,664.47
1,767.47
1,854.28
1,915.73
1,942.65
1,948.94
1,966.35
2,025.37
2,126.95
2,305.52
2,423.19
2,323.23
2,269.34
2,374.23
2,434.83
2,463.67
2,470.76
2,435.52
2,416.23
2,435.61
2,489.37
2,634.78
2,694.21
2,773.49
2,785.82
2,840.51
2,892.10
2,969.98
3,112.25
3,237.69
3,272.41
3,381.38
3,654.95
4,148.78
4,031.22
3,615.30

3,373.57
3,100.68
3,308.21
3,599.19
3,969.90
3,592.90
3,6
3.39
83,747.48
3,285.34
3,8
57.60
3,964.8
14,111.56
4,217.45

129.74127.68131.25130.99128.18114.94114.52111.99115.09118.23117.57114.68110.02106.19101.14
96.95
92.76
91.56
92.73
95.98
96.42
93.63
90.54
88.28
87.65
93.10
97.19
92.75
90.68
89.25
87.75
86.36
86.18
86.98
84.98
85.43
85.36
83.11
85.92
84.83
81.64
79.65
75.49
71.37
71.07
72.25
67.01
63.13
66.45
74.82
78.70
87.34
79.74
73.73
73.98
79.91
80.01
79.95
82.69
82.69
81.88
78.93
77.61

Apr-02
aMy-02
Jun-02
Jul-02Aug-02
Sep-02
ct-02
O
o-v02
N
Dec-02Jan-03
eb-03
F
ar-03
M
Apr-03ay-03
MJun-03
Jul-03Aug-03
Sep-03
ct-03
O
ov
N
-03
Dec-03Jan-04
eb-04
F
ar-04
M
Apr-04ay-04
M
Jun-04
Jul-04Aug-04
Sep-04
ct-04
O
o-v04
N
Dec-04Jan-05*The above analysis combines data collected usingtw
o different methodolog
ies! The326,300
317,150
330,350
334,250
324,500
326,500
339,150
357,000
380,150
401,050
402,800
400,050
383,650
376,950
365,400
357,200
367,700
384,450
390,700
383,800
401,800
409,000
418,550434,000
450,850
456,400
461,600
447,000
442,700
439,400
468,600
456,200
481,540
492,940

4,075.95
4,179.89
4,416.45
4,504.53
4,497.23
4,493.15
4,575.48
4,783.78
4,797.42
4,535.33
4,970.25
4,8
91.55
4,6
48.55
4,793.68
4,082.21
4,792.75
4,705.48
4,768.00
4,758.37
4,753.86
4,581.08
4,765.91
4,764.11
4,722.67
4,735.01
4,754.61
4,8
33.25
4,789.53
4,791.944,8
21.8
64,901.21
4,8
04.24
4,6
55.08
4,791.29

80.05
75.88
74.80
74.20
72.16
72.67
74.12
74.63
79.24
88.43
81.04
81.78
78.87
78.63
76.09
74.53
78.14
80.63
82.11
80.73
87.71
85.82
87.85
91.90
95.22
95.99
95.51
93.33
92.38
90.36
95.61
94.96
103.44102.88

Food Basket measured cost of basic commodites from1997-2001,and the Basic Needs Basket has continued to assess basic food and non-food costs from 2002 up to the present. To combine the data it aws
assumed that thoug
h the composition of basic food items chang
ed in January 2002,the total cost of 'essential food items' iwthi

n the new Basic Needs

asket is approximately the same as the cost of food items only iwthin the oFod aBsket. As illustrated below
B,this assumption

appears avlid because thedifference in food costs betw
een December 02' and January 03' mirrors the inflation trend as it increases by approximately 1.%
8onthly Av*Merage aMrket Exchange Rates collected from the oBZ's record of Commercial aBnks' eWig
hted Retail Av
eragew
aKcha-US$

Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection
Social Conditions Research Project
email: socialjctr@zamnet.zm
tel: 260-1-290410
fax: 260-1-290759

mid-rates

Kwacha100,000
Jan97

200,000

300,000

400,000

500,000

Jul97

Jan98

Jul98

Jan99

Jul99

Jan00

Jul00

Month

Jan01

Jul01

Jan02

Jul02

Jan03

(Basic Cost of Food for Family of 6 in Lusaka)

Jul03

Jan04

JCTR Food Basket in Kwacha (1997-Present)

Jul04

Jan05

US$

50
Jan97

60

70

80

90

100

110

120

130

140

150

Jul97

Jan98

Jul98

Jan99

Jul99

Jan00

Jul00

Month

Jan01

Jul01

Jan02

Jul02

Jan03

(Basic Cost of Food for Family of 6 in Lusaka)

Jul03

JCTR Food Basket in US$ (1997-Present)

Jan04

Jul04

Jan05