In terms of coarse grains, the general food security situation improved and remained stable during the month of March with prices of major staples such as maize, wheat, rice and beans easing slightly compared to February 2012 prices. However, following delayed onset of long rains and continued dry spell in the month of March, supply of fresh vegetables remained low during the month leading to relatively higher prices of the fresh produce. According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, the cost of living remained almost same level in March compared to February even as the rate of inflation dropped for the fourth month in a row to 15.61 percent in March from 16.69 in February. The consumer price index which measures the average change in prices of key goods and services over a period however rose marginally by 1.34 percent to 132.51.The increase was mainly driven by higher prices of fresh produce, namely cabbages, sukuma wiki, Irish potatoes, onions and tomatoes as well as sharp increase of prices of milk and dairy products that rose by about 11.8 percent. Full Report |
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