Democratic Republic of Congo Price Bulletin, December 2023 – Democratic Republic of the Congo

The Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) monitors trends in staple food prices in countries vulnerable to food insecurity. For each FEWSNET country and region, the Price Bulletin provides a set of charts showing monthly prices in the current marketing year in selected urban centers andallowing users to compare current trends with both five-year average prices, indicative of seasonal trends, and prices in the previous year.

Maize and cassava are the main staple foods consumed byhouseholds in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and isusually prepared in a dough-like consistency calledfufu. Thecountry is heavily dependent on imported maize, as localproduction of both maize and cassava is typically unable tocover local demand. Rice is the third most important staplefood and is mainly consumed in larger urban areas, while beansis used in both urban and rural areas as an accompaniment tocereal-based dishes. Households in rural areas depend heavilyon palm oil for food preparation. Maize, cassava, rice and beansare sold year round in key reference markets in Eastern DRC.Fuel prices and the quality of road infrastructure linking majorrural production zones to large consumer markets are amongsome of the key factors that influence staple food prices inEastern DRC.