Rising prices, inflation, debt, impoverishment – nothing has spared the Tunisian middle class in recent years!
Many Tunisians complain about the rising prices of meat, fish and basic foodstuffs…
Everywhere you look, members of the middle class, to which so many people feel they belong, are suffering from rising prices and falling purchasing power, but their feelings don’t follow.
Rising prices of several food items
Indicators of the state of supply and prices of the main basic products at the Bir El Kassaa wholesale market on September 13, 2024 show an increase in fruit prices, particularly for pears (up 71% to TND 6 /kg), apples (up 50% to TND 3/kg), pomegranates and peaches (up 33% to TND 2 /kg and TND 4 /kg respectively), compared to the same date in 2023.
Prices for melons (TND 1 /kg) and grapes (TND 4 s/kg) have remained unchanged, according to indicators published by the National Agricultural Observatory (ONAGRI).
Most of the fruits for which prices have risen were available on the market in reduced quantities, particularly pears (-53%), peaches (-38%) and apples (-36%). On the other hand, quantities of pomegranates and grapes increased by 200% and 23% respectively.
The Observatory’s figures also show a significant increase in the selling prices of certain types of vegetables, ranging from 25% for onions (at TND 1/kg) to 100% for cucumbers (TND 2 /kg) and 205% for pumpkins (TND 5.5/kg) compared with 13 September 2023.
On the other hand, prices for tomatoes, peppers and potatoes fell by 58% (to TND 0.7 /kg), 23% (to TND 1/kg) and 9% (to TND 1.45/kg) respectively.
It should be noted that the Bir El Kassaa wholesale market saw an increase in the supply of most vegetables, up to 75% for tomatoes and 100% for onions, with the exception of pumpkins, the quantity of which on display at this market fell by 82% in one year.
As for fish, ONAGRI has only published the indicators for two species: sardines, whose price has fallen by 44% to TND 3.215 per kilogram, and limpets, whose price has risen by a staggering 284% (from TND 2.6 milligrams per kilogram in September 2023 to TND 10 milligrams per kilogram today).
Is the middle-class facing extinction?
Rising prices, inflation, unemployment, job losses and indebtedness have hit Tunisia’s middle class and other vulnerable groups hard in recent years.
The purchasing power of Tunisians in general has fallen significantly between 2011 and 2021, and the middle class has shrunk, losing around 40% of its purchasing power, according to some unofficial estimates.
It should be noted that, given the financial risks to which some Tunisian families are constantly exposed, a number of so-called middle-class households are at risk of falling into poverty.
