In most regions, the terms of trade between goat and imported rice have slightly improved in August 2012 compared to July 2012, due to lower prices of imported rice and higher prices for goats. In August, peanuts stocks decreased and producers sold them at high prices (+28% compared to August 2011), thus improving their terms of trade against rice on a yearly basis. Compared to July 2012, the purchasing power of some urban casual labourers improved also in August. Wages of dockworkers and construction workers rose in August in four main cities (Dakar, Saint Louis, Kaolack, Ziguinchor) as opposed to housekeepers wages, leading to an improvement in wage/rice ToT by 11% for dockers, and 9% for construction workers. In contrast, the terms of trade of housekeepers deteriorated by about 2%.
October 2012