FOOD PRICE INFLATION

Namibian shoppers are under the whip as food prices rise sharply

By our African Marketing Confederation News Team | 2025

Fruit prices rose by a significant 15.5% in May, with notable price increases for watermelons, citrus fruits and avocados.

Despite a general easing of inflation in Namibia, the country’s consumers continue to be under pressure due to a steep rise in food inflation.

The latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) bulletin from the Namibia Statistics Agency indicates that the cost of food and non-alcoholic beverages increased by 5.8% year-on-year during May 2025, while the headline inflation rate stood at 3.5%.

Fruit prices rose by a significant 15.5%, according to the statistics agency, with notable price increases for watermelons, citrus fruits and avocados.

Meat prices went up by 8.8%, driven by higher costs for beef, lamb, minced meat and biltong. “These are staple protein sources for many Namibian households, rendering the increase particularly significant in the context of nutritional accessibility,” comments the ‘Southern African Times’ digital newspaper.

Oils and fats saw a 9.1% increase due to increasing prices of cooking oil and cooking fats.

Photo by Jack Sparrow from Pexels

Other food items that registered notable increases include fish (up 9.1%) and vegetables (up 7.7%), compared to the same period in 2024.

The structure of Namibia’s inflation basket remains heavily weighted towards food, housing, transport, and alcoholic beverages, which together constitute over 70% of household expenditure, according to the Namibia Statistics Agency.

Adds the ‘Southern African Times’: “This composition means that even modest increases in food prices can have outsized effects on household budgets, particularly in lower-income brackets.”

Fuel-price inflation shows a decline

In contrast to rising food prices, transport costs in Namibia declined by 1.3% year-on-year in May, largely due to falling fuel prices. The price of petrol and diesel fell by 7.8% compared to the previous year, providing some relief to overall inflationary pressures for hard-pressed Namibian consumers.

Inflation is expected to ease further to around 3.3% in June and will likely stay below 4% for the rest of 2025.

According to Namibian-based radio station Eagle FM, “The cost of living remains a challenge, especially for lower-income Namibians”.

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