Prices in Mozambique increased by 0.22% in March, slowing significantly compared to the 0.68% recorded in February. The data was released this Monday (13) by the National Statistics Institute (INE), which points to signs of recovery following logistical constraints caused by flooding.
According to the Consumer Price Index (CPI), the country “recorded a price increase of around 0.22%,” with the food and non-alcoholic beverages sector continuing to exert the greatest influence. This group contributed 0.11 percentage points to the monthly variation, down from 0.37 points recorded in the previous month.
The report indicates that the rise in prices was mainly driven by specific products. Notably, tomatoes increased by 5%, full meals in restaurants rose by 0.7%, and new passenger vehicles saw a 6.4% increase.
Other products also contributed to this trend, including charcoal (2.2%), onions (4.1%), cabbage (2.2%), and motorcycles (1.8%). “Together, these contributed approximately 0.22 positive percentage points to the monthly variation,” the CPI notes.
This slowdown follows a period of strong price pressure caused by logistical disruptions. Between mid-January and early February, traffic on National Roads No. 1 and 2 was completely halted due to flooding. According to INE, cumulative inflation for the first three months of 2026 stands at 2.16%, while the year-on-year variation reached 3.37%, indicating moderate price growth in the short term.
On an annual basis, prices rose by 3.23% in 2025, remaining below the levels recorded in 2024 and below government forecasts. It is worth noting that the country experienced eight months of deflation in less than a year and a half, before prices began rising again in August last year.
Cumulative inflation in 2024 stood at 4.15%, below the 5.3% recorded in 2023 and far from the peak of nearly 13% reached in July 2022. Nevertheless, the government maintains its forecast of inflation around 7% for 2026.
Source: Lusa
