Food, fuel prices up

Food and fuel prices have gone up in Rwanda, the Rwanda News Agency (RNA) said at the weekend. It attributed the rise in prices of various food products around Rwanda’s prefectures - some by up to six percent - to drought and the increase in fuel prices. RNA quoted an agriculture ministry report as saying that the price of groundnuts had gone up from 400 to 500 Rwandan francs a kilo. The agency quoted the president of the Rwandan Petroleum Importers, Egide Gakuba, as saying the increase in petroleum products was due to high transportation costs, the devaluation of the Rwandan currency against the US dollar and the taxes imposed on importers. “Petroleum prices will not go down unless the taxes imposed on them are reduced, otherwise, petroleum dealers would operate on a loss,” he said. RNA quoted sources from the commerce ministry also as saying that the government is trying to streamline the route through Isaka port in Tanzania, in order to lower transportation costs. Petroleum products have risen from 310 to 330 Rwandan francs.