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Beef Prices Skyrocket in Northern Namibia Despite Cattle Abundance

Despite being home to a substantial number of cattle in Namibia, people in zone 1 pay the highest price for beef stew at N$100.30 per kilogramme.

The zone, comprising the northern communal areas of the Kavango East, Kavango West, Kunene, Ohangwena, Omusati, Oshana, Oshikoto, as well as Otjozondjupa and Zambezi regions, is home to an estimated 1.6 million cattle.

According to the Namibia Consumer Price Index (NCPI) for December 2024 released by the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA) on Thursday, this contributed to the annual inflation of 3.4% compared to 5.3% registered in December 2023.

“On a monthly basis, the inflation rate was 0.2%, slightly lower than the 0.3% registered during the preceding month,” notes the report.

According to NSA chief executive Alex Shimuafeni, zone 3 ( the //Kharas, Erongo, Hardap and Omaheke regions) came second with N$99.36 per kg, while zone 2 consumers (the Khomas region) paid the lowest price of N$86.99 per kg for beef stew.

However, consumers in zone 2 paid the highest price for 750ml of cooking oil at N$31.30, followed by zone 3 at N$30.89, while zone 1 had the lowest price of N$30.20.

According to zonal inflation rates for December 2024, zone 2 recorded the highest rate of 4.3% followed by zone 3 with 2.9% and zone 1 recoding 2.8%.

“In comparison to the headline inflation rate of 3.4%, the core inflation rate stood at 3.8%,” says Shimuafeni, adding that “core inflation” excludes certain volatile elements from the overall inflation calculation.

The NSA says the primary drivers of the annual inflation rate of 3.4% in December 2024 were food and non-alcoholic beverages, contributing 1.2 percentage points.

These were followed by housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels, contributing 1.1 percentage points, while alcoholic beverages and tobacco contributed 0.6 percentage points.

The highest change in the annual inflation rate was in the hotels, cafés and restaurant categories at 6.7%; food and non-alcoholic beverages (5.9%); recreation and culture (4.8%); and alcoholic beverages and tobacco (4.6%).

Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels, which account for 28.4% of the consumer basket increased by 4.4% in December 2024 compared to a 3.4% increase in December 2023.

Food and non-alcoholic beverages, which account for 16.5% of the NCPI basket, registered an annual inflation rate of 5.9% in December 2024, compared to 7.4% during December 2023.

Prices of vegetables, including potatoes and other tubers, increased annually by 4.4% in December 2024 compared to 17.8% witnessed in December 2023.

Fish registered an annual inflation rate of 6.0% in December 2024, compared to the 13.5% in December 2023.

The transport category, which accounts for 14.3% of the consumer basket, registered an annual deflation rate of 1.4% during December 2024, compared to an increase of 4.0% observed in the same month of the preceding year.

– email: matthew@namibian.com.na

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