An important focus for the national debate is the social dimension of the budget, this highlights government's actual commitment to poverty reduction as a top priority in 2000. The importance of this commitment is underlined when we look at the cost of living faced by ordinary Zambian today. For January 2000, the estimate is K263,370, up from K257,480 for December 1999. Widening the range of the survey, the JCTR undertook a study in December 1999 to compare the cost of various food commodities in Lusaka's low, medium and high density locations. This study was meant to assess the factors behind price differences of the same commodities in different locations of the city.
Prices vary from one location to another.
This depends among other factors on the distance involved in transportation of goods from place of production to the final consumer. The study established that the average prices of mealie - meal tend to be on the lower side in the low density locations because the demand for this commodity is slightly lower as families in these locations supplement their dishes with other starch food stuffs, i.e., rice, potatoes, pasta, etc. The other factor that affects the variations in prices is the purchasing power of the consumer communities found in the given locations. Roma This was also the case with the average prices of vegetables which were more on demand in the low density locations than they were in the high density ones. Higher levels of income in the low density locations of Lusaka yield higher demand on food items like meat and vegetables resulting in higher average prices of the commodities in question in these locations.