Screenshot of documentary on YouTube from Deutsche Welle: Climate change or politics? – Why Madagascar is going hungry

Since the beginning of the year, there has been a steep rise in the price of market goods in Madagascar. The Malagasy people are hesitant to speak out about this, and they remain resilient. However, the country's high cost of living still requires a government response.

By August 2022, the rate of inflation had already reached 9.3 percent. According to economists from the National Institute of Statistics (INSTAT), this is likely to increase further this year. In fact, since January, there has been a significant rise in the cost of foodstuff. In one week alone, the cost of 1 kg (2.2 lb) of rice increased from MGA 3,200 (USD 0.7373) to MGA 3,600 (USD 0.8294). Today’s cost is MGA 4,100 (USD 0.9446).

Rice is a prominent feature of the Malagasy diet. Life is strongly dependent upon rice; it is not only a staple food, but also a vital component of Malagasy culture and philosophy. As the saying goes, “It is only with rice that we can be full.”

However, few households are currently able to buy the food they require. Eighty-one percent of the population is living below the poverty line and thereby have to tighten their belts even further. Most people have had to reduce their spending, and some end up going hungry. Even the middle-income strata have been significantly affected. They, too, are having to take cost-saving actions.

A ban on public protests

Ce vendredi 31 mars au soir, à la télévision nationale malgache, le ministre de l’intérieur a annoncé que toutes les manifestations à caractère politique dans un lieu public sont désormais interdites et devront se tenir uniquement dans un endroit clos afin « de préserver l’ordre public ».

On the evening of Friday, March 31, the Malagasy Minister of the Interior, announced on national television that all political protests in public places had been banned. They should only be held in enclosed areas ‘to maintain public order’.

Causes of inflation

Adverse weather conditions and the disrepair of its road networks both significantly affect the cost of certain products. Madagascar is economically dependent on foreign imports of basic commodities because of its inability to produce enough supplies to sustain its population of almost 27 million inhabitants. This is also attributable to a lack of market price awareness and control by state officials.

The country’s economy is also exposed to unfavorable global economic circumstances, which have been hit hard by inflation because of the Russia-Ukraine war. As Ukraine supplied 30 percent of the world’s wheat, the cost of this basic agricultural commodity shot up following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

According to Benoît Faivre-Dupaigre, a researcher at the Economic Analysis and Public Policy Department of the French Development Agency (AFD), food security in Africa is anything but stable. This is the continent where food aid is most required. Based on this report, Madagascar, the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are the three African countries most at risk.

The following report by the German international broadcaster Deutsche Welle shows how various climatic and political factors have contributed to this major crisis:

Basic commodities price hike

The cost of everyday essentials is on the rise, as shown in the table below, which lists the products affected by this price hike:

Is this going to continue?

The debt that people and their children must pay back now stands at USD 4 billion

Year – 2019 Cost of 1kg of rice: USD 0.41 1L of oil: USD 1.14 1L of gasoline: USD 0.94 1L of gas oil (diesel): USD 0.80 Bus fares: USD 0.091 1 Euro: USD 0.87 Poverty rate: 74%

Year – 2023 Cost of 1kg of rice: USD 0.89 1L of oil: USD 2.97 1L of gasoline: USD 1.35 1L of gas oil (diesel): USD 1.12 Bus fares: USD 0.14 1 Euro: USD 1.09 Poverty rate: 92%

In terms of inflation, the Malagasy government appears to deny any internal accountability. According to the news provider, Vaovao Farany, the minister of culture and communication, Lalatiana Rakotondrazafy, said:

Tsy ny fitondram-panjakana no tsy mahay mitantana» hoy ny Minisitry ny Serasera androany.

Eran-tany no miatrika ny fisondrotany fa tsy eto Madagasikara irery. Manampy trotraka ny fisian'ny adin'i Ukraine sy Russie sy ny rivo-doza nandalo nifanesy teto Madagasikara isan'ny nampidina ny famokarana ary voatery nanafatra ny fanjakana hoy hatrany izy.

It’s not that the government doesn’t know how to handle this. Inflation is a global issue and not just in Madagascar. The Russia-Ukraine war and the successive cyclones that hit Madagascar have led to reduced production. The State thereby has recourse to import its rice.

Limited solutions

The Malagasy government has already set up State Procurement of Madagascar, a company that directly imports basic commodities. Emergency social measures, including projects like “Vary Tsinjo” (in which rice is imported by the government and sold cheaply) and “Tsena Mora” (a government program to provide subsidized basic commodities), have also been set up in the fokontany (districts). This enables households to buy rice at an affordable price.

However, based on several Malagasy online reactions, this doesn’t appear to be sufficient.

On Facebook, Frank Audrey left a somewhat witty comment on Real TV Madagascar's wall:

Malagasy people are tough!!

We've reached peak wealth!!!

The cost of rice is rising, we can still buy it, everyone is hesitant to speak out or act

Fuel prices are rising, no one is saying anything

The cost of commodities continues to rise

The cost of everything is on the rise! The Malagasy people can still cope

Long live the Malagasy people!!

Madagascar Global News also posted the following on Facebook:

COST OF RICE: GMA 4100 (USD 0.9446)

Please save us.

We're living in poverty and going hungry

Cut the cost of a kapoaka (250g) of rice

The cost of rice is unsustainable