The Consumer Price Index for January 2022, published by the Guyana Bureau of Statistics, records 1.5% general inflation in the period from December 2021 to January 2022 and 3.2% inflation in food prices in the same period. These numbers stand out when compared to the inflation rate under the APNU+AFC Coalition government which was recorded at 1.6% per year on average. January alone, just one month, recorded inflation that equals one full year of what the APNU+AFC delivered.
The 3.2% inflation in food prices, which is the primary driver of the high level of inflation, is the most concerning issue because it directly threatens the food security of the poorest Guyanese families. The public continues to call on the government to take action to directly counter the spike in food prices. At this time the installed PPP regime has taken no actions to address food price inflation.
The December to January inflation, terrible as it is, was recorded before the start of the war in Ukraine. Supply shortages caused by that war adds fuel to the inflation fire. NAMILCO’s 15% increase in the price of flour and the recent spike in the price of gas are direct results of that war. The Alliance For Change (AFC) continues to call on the installed PPP regime to subsidize the price of flour and undo the 15% price increase.
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