Tunisians struggle with prices and shortages as economy worsens

Record ID: 1709195

  • Title: Tunisians struggle with prices and shortages as economy worsens
  • Date: 2nd February 2023
  • Summary: TEBOURBA, TUNISIA (JANUARY, 28 2023) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF TUNISIAN STREET CLEANER, LASSAD MEJRI, WORKING IN A STREET IN TEBOURBA, TUNISIA SLOW-MOTION OF MEJRI PUSHIN THE GARBAGE CONTAINER (MUTE) MEJRI WALKING INTO HIS HOME VARIOUS OF MEJRI FEEDING HIS CATS (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) STREET CLEANER, LASSAD MEJRI, SAYING: “I can no longer buy food, vegetables, and other things. The people are hungry. We can no longer have three meals a day. I personally eat two meals, one at midday and at dinner I eat the leftovers of lunch, if there was any left.” LASSAD'S WIFE, ELGEYA MEJRI, SITTING OUTSIDE THEIR HOME VARIOUS OF LASSAD AND HIS WIFE SITTING OUTSIDE THEIR HOME (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) STREET CLEANER, LASSAD MEJRI, SAYING: “My salary today is 400 [Tunisian] Dinars (100 TD = 33 US Dollars) and it is not enough. Today 400 DT is not even enough for the grocery shopping." VARIOUS OF MEJRI'S WIFE, ELGEYA, COOKING INSIDE HER KITCHEN (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) LASSAD MEJRI'S WIFE, ELGEYA MEJRI, SAYING: “Everything has become very expensive this year, we can no longer afford anything” VARIOUS OF ELGEYA WASHING THE DISHES (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) STREET CLEANER, LASSAD MEJRI , SAYING: “I no longer have confidence in politicians, as my living condition has hit rock bottom. For two years, the government could not provide anything. They should have done everything they could to provide food for the people to satisfy and make them happy. The people are no longer happy and are not able to smile. Everything has become difficult to do. Whoever laughs, now regrets it. We now laugh just as a stress relief. The poor are laughing today to relieve their stress, so they do not get sick.” LASSAD MEJRI CLEANING THE STREET SLOW-MOTION OF MEJRI CLEANING THE STREET(MUTE) (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) STREET CLEANER, LASSAD MEJRI, SAYING: “There is no medicine anymore, not just a shortage, but there are medications that are missing like this one. There is a woman who brought it for her mother from France, it's for blood lipids, and she donated it to me.” VARIOUS OF PEOPLE SHOPPING AT A POPULAR MARKET FISH SELLER, ANWER RIAHI, ORGANISING HIS SEAFOOD PRODUCTS ON DISPLAY SEAFOOD ON DISPLAY FOR SALE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) FISH SELLER, ANWER RIAHI, SAYING: “After 11 o'clock in the morning, the market becomes empty, sales stop. We buy the product, which is very expensive and as you can see, the buyer is no longer interested in buying, they look and pass by." VARIOUS OF PEOPLE BUYING FISH (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) FISH SELLER, ANWER RIAHI, SAYING: “There is nothing left in Tunisia. I am thinking of emigrating. I have to leave the country. I am a father and I have a family. I am seriously considering leaving the country. Im doing everything, but I can no longer resist the high prices.” VARIOUS OF A WOMEN BUYING VEGETABLES VARIOUS OF GROCER, TAWFIK MSELMI, FIXING HIS VEGETABLES (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) GROCER, TAWFIK MSELMI, SAYING: “Now people look at the peppers and tomatoes without purchasing. There are people who only buy two pieces of peppers and tomatoes. Three artichokes are for three [Tunisian] dinars. I bought it for 2.7 [Tunisian] dinars, so I am making just 0.3 [Tunisian] dinars, what will it do for me? And when I say that the price is 3 [Tunisian] dinars, I feel ashamed just for saying it, but I have to bring [the price] up, so I can work.” TUNIS, TUNISIA (FEBRUARY 1, 2023) (REUTERS) PEOPLE WALKING IN THE STREET IN CENTRAL TUNIS, TUNISIA VARIOUS OF PEOPLE WITHDRAWING MONEY FROM AN ATM VARIOUS OF PEOPLE SITTING ON A BENCH VARIOUS OF ECONOMIC ANALYST, RIDHA CHKANDALI, WORKING IN HIS OFFICE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) ECONOMIC ANALYST, RIDHA CHKANDALI, SAYING: “The current economic situation is represented by the acceleration of inflation rates, which have reached more than 20% for some foods and other life essentials for the Tunisian citizen. The state is also facing difficulties in securing essential goods, as the central bank's reserves of foreign currency fall short, which requires the need to mobilize external resources.”
  • Embargoed: 16th February 2023 14:04
  • Keywords: Economy Prices Society Tunis Tunisia
  • Location: TEBOURA, TUNIS, SFAX, TUNISIA
  • City: TEBOURA, TUNIS, SFAX, TUNISIA
  • Country: Tunisia
  • Topics: Africa,Society/Social Issues
  • Reuters ID: LVA001690002022023RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Tunisian street cleaner Lassad Mejri says life has grown so tough for his family because of the country's dire economy that they prepare just one meal a day, but as government finances falter, there may be worse to come.
    Like many Tunisians Mejri, 57, and his wife Elgeya had already been struggling to cope with basic living costs before recent years brought the COVID-19 pandemic, rising global inflation and a crisis in state finances. 
    "People are no longer happy and cannot even laugh. Everything is difficult. If you laugh now, you feel bad," said Mejri, who lives in the town of Tebourba, 30km (18 miles) west of the capital Tunis.
    Mejri, his wife, and their son used to eat three meals a day.
    Now, Elgeya only prepares a midday meal and they only eat in the evening if there are leftovers. 
    Mejri spends his working days sweeping streets and pavements in Tebourba, pushing a wheeled plastic bin along with him, to earn 400 dinars ($100) a month. 
    "Everything has become very expensive this year, we can no longer buy anything," he said.
    Tunisia has been pushing for years for an international bailout to help it stave off bankruptcy, but the country's political turmoil and disputes over economic reforms have thwarted those efforts. 
    Last week, ratings agency Moody's downgraded Tunisian sovereign debt, saying there was a likelihood of a default. 
    Shortages of some subsidised food and medicine already point to the government's economic problems, and a default would likely make things much worse by raising the cost of borrowing and undermining the dinar, which would worsen inflation.
    Mejri needs medicine for a medical condition, but said he was no longer able to find it in Tunisia. 
    "It's not a shortage. This medicine is not here anymore," he said.
    He said he managed to obtain some from a woman who had imported it specially from France for her own mother.
    Shortages have been seen across the country, with supermarkets and local shops out of some products or having to ration basic goods such as sugar, milk, butter and cooking oil. 
    Even without those shortages, a 10% inflation rate - which economists say may be 20% for food items - means many Tunisians are buying less anyway. 
    At a Tunis market, vegetable seller Tawfik Mselmi, 53, said he was ashamed to be demanding such high prices, but was making no profit. 
    "People look at the peppers and tomatoes and do not buy them. Or they buy two peppers and two tomatoes," he said.
    (Production: Jihed Abidelalloui)
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