The disruption to the Durban-Johannesburg food supply chain caused by rampant looting and the blocking of major distribution routes earlier this week will result in sharp food price increases.
This is the warning from Mervyn Abrahams, an economist at the Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice Group’s (PMBEJD) low-income food inflation index.
Earlier this week, residents in several parts of the province and certain areas of Gauteng were queueing for hours to buy food, fuel, and other essentials from stores that were still standing after looters had ransacked scores of shopping centres and major retail outlets.
Agriculture and transport organisations have warned that the burning of trucks and fields used for animal feed have further exacerbated the problem.
Many farmers have also been unable to get their fresh produce to retailers due to the unrest. Abrahams said it could take the supply chain on the N3 — the major highway between Durban and Gauteng and one of South Africa’s most important trade routes — a week to ten days to recover.
“We urgently need to repair supply lines. Farmers have produce they can’t store, and there’s been no way to get fresh produce from retailers this past week,” Abrahams said.
“Demand will definitely exceed supply in the coming weeks, so we’ll see sharp price increases.”
Abrahams added that PMBEJD already received complaints from the focus groups it uses for its food index that prices have risen sharply for food that is available.
The tweet below from SABC journalist Jayed-Leigh Paulse shows people queueing outside a Checkers store in Durban North on Thursday.
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Source: mybroadband
