With only 13% of food products subject to subsidies, Tunisian consumers on tight budgets seek solutions from the government.
The rising cost of fish, red meat and other staples in Tunisian markets is making it difficult for shoppers to make ends meet. Bab Al-Fela market, located in the heart of Tunis, caters to lower-income customers.
This time of year - harvest season - produce is plentiful and prices are reasonable, merchant Adel Soltani told Magharebia. But the price of red meat is climbing.
Even though Trade Ministry figures show that meat production is up this year, compared to 2009, one kilo of mutton now costs 14 dinars and beef can run as much as 12 dinars.
Abdullah, a butcher at the central market, defends the vendors, saying that they are not responsible for setting prices. In his opinion, it is the increase in production costs that result in higher food prices.
Red meat costs are not the only thing putting a strain on Tunisian families.
"Fish prices are no longer affordable," said Rajae, who works in a nursery. Her budget only allows her to buy one kind of fish: bluefish (sardines).
Tunisian fishermen brought in 28,000 tonnes of seafood this year, compared to 24,000 tonnes last year, according to the Trade Ministry.
"My family cannot afford constantly rising prices," said housewife Khadija Riahi. Even though local production is abundant, she added, stagnant salaries make it hard to cover essential needs.
Many customers have had to secure loans to make ends meet.
Yahiya Bouhali, a civil servant, told Magharebia that his salary is not sufficient to enable him to pay off his debts and meet the needs of his five-member family.
Bouhali is not alone: a study released by the Consumer Protection Association said that 85% of Tunisians are in debt.
Some 87% of food prices are determined by supply and demand, Trade Minister Ridha Ben Mosbah said at a May 25th press conference. Only 13% of products are subject to government subsidies.
Prices freed from government control are a reality that must be dealt with, market shopper Hassan Mahmoudi told Magharebia. At the same time, he said, a citizen has the right to boycott expensive goods and refuse to buy them.
"Unfortunately, this is not part of the culture of the Tunisian consumer," he said.
The government, Mahmoudi argued, is well-aware of the sky-rocketing prices but can do little about them.
Minister Ben Mosbah countered that the state is striving to protect the purchasing power of the consumer and combat unjustified price hikes by constantly regulating transactions at all outlets.
In just the first four months of 2010, the Ministry conducted 123,687 monitoring raids that uncovered 13,743 pricing violations.
By Monia Ghanmi for Magharebia in Tunis
© Magharebia.com 2010
