2007年VOA标准英语-Zimbabwe Inflation Leaps to Hyper Level

By Peta Thornycroft
Harare
13 May 2007

A woman begs in a street in Harare, Zimbabwe (File)

Prices of consumer goods, particularly groceries, have doubled in a month in Zimbabwe. Peta Thornycroft reports for VOA that Zimbabwe shopkeepers and consumers are shock at the sudden leap in prices of food saying that the rate of inflation, already the highest in the world, is now leaping ahead so fast that no one can predict the consequences.

 

A housewife shopping at a Harare supermarket Saturday said the price of the staple¹ food maize² meal was now 22 times higher than it was in December, a product still subsidized by the government.

The controlled price of bread, she said, was ten times higher than three months ago.

She said one small shopping bag of essential goods on Saturday had cost her nearly one million Zimbabwe dollars, or $33 U.S. on the black market, or $4,000 U.S. at the official rate of exchange.

Officially Zimbabwe's inflation is 2,200 percent. That number comes from the government's Central Statistical³ office in Harare.

The International Monetary⁴ Fund this month said that Zimbabwe reached the hyper inflation rate in the month of March. Economists⁶ define hyper inflation as growth in inflation of over 50 percent month on month. Though official inflation numbers for April have not been officially released, some economists say there was a 160 percent gain on the month leading to a 6,300 percent increase on the year, far above the IMF prediction of 5,000 percent for 2007.

The official rate of inflation, according to international accountants in Harare, is far lower than the real rate. That is because the Central Statistical Office calculates some essential goods according to official prices, and not street prices.

The four main supermarket chains in Zimbabwe, which keep their own statistics for their range of groceries and food say that the rate of inflation is presently around 11,000 percent.

Economist⁵ John Robertson said the official rate of inflation for April would probably be about 3,000 percent for all goods and services but he anticipates the real figure could be twice that amount.

When inflation hits that figure shortly of 6,000 percent per year, Robertson anticipates prices could double weekly.

He said retailers⁷ are unsure of how much to mark up their goods because they can no longer anticipate what new prices from wholesalers will be.

He said inflation could soon reach the point where Zimbabweans no longer trust their own currency, and when that happens, he says, they might seek to trade in foreign money.

Making sense of the value of Zimbabwe dollar is difficult as there are two rates of exchange. Most calculations are done by using the black market rate which is based on demand for those with access to foreign money.

It is more than 100 times higher the official rate of exchange. Most consumer goods are calculated using the black market rate of exchange, which is 25,000 Zimbabwe dollar to one U.S. dollar.

Most Zimbabweans have no access to foreign currency and so the present prices of basic essentials in Zimbabwe dollars are beyond the reach of the majority of people.

1 staple   

n.主要产物，常用品，主要要素，原料，订书钉，钩环；adj.主要的，重要的；vt.分类

参考例句：

• Tea is the staple crop here.本地产品以茶叶为大宗。
• Potatoes are the staple of their diet.土豆是他们的主要食品。

2 maize   

n.玉米

参考例句：

• There's a field planted with maize behind the house.房子后面有一块玉米地。
• We can grow sorghum or maize on this plot.这块地可以种高粱或玉米。

3 statistical   

adj.统计的，统计学的

参考例句：

• He showed the price fluctuations in a statistical table.他用统计表显示价格的波动。
• They're making detailed statistical analysis.他们正在做具体的统计分析。

4 monetary   

adj.货币的，钱的；通货的；金融的；财政的

参考例句：

• The monetary system of some countries used to be based on gold.过去有些国家的货币制度是金本位制的。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

5 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

6 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 retailers   

零售商，零售店( retailer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• High street retailers reported a marked increase in sales before Christmas. 商业街的零售商报告说圣诞节前销售量显著提高。
• Retailers have a statutory duty to provide goods suitable for their purpose. 零售商有为他们提供符合要求的货品的法定义务。