Food prices rocket in Zimbabwe

The cost of tea, the favoured drink of poor Zimbabweans, rose by 28% amid soaring food prices last month, the independent Consumer Council said.

Meat rose 15% and slightly lower increases were reported for milk, sugar and non-food items such as rent, the council said in its monthly bulletin.

Overall, the average monthly expenditure for a low-income family of six to meet its basic needs rose by 11% to €212.80.

Lower-paid workers earn around €96.20 a month – less than half the needs of the average family.

Zimbabwe is facing its worst economic crisis since independence in 1980, with unemployment running at 70%, according to official estimates.