[Cover of “Algeria’s cash crunch: ‘Buying oil feels like buying drugs’ article]. (2022). Algerian shoppers are finding it increasingly hard to make ends meet

Algeria’s cash crunch: ‘Buying oil feels like buying drugs’

As the prices of goods surge due to recent war efforts in Ukraine, consumers are having a hard time shopping for groceries. The surge in prices has caused everyday goods like milk and eggs to nearly double and this comes as a worry for consumers because the month of Ramadan is coming up meaning demand will increase more than usual. People note that being able to get their hands on government-subsidized goods requires a good relationship with the merchant, who keeps a secret stash of goods in the back of the store. One customer says it feels like buying drugs with how discrete everything has become. Many have to wake up before dawn to wait in long lines for bread and milk and the amount of bargaining needed to buy has become humiliating. Others who don’t want to go through the trouble are focused to buy the same products from private importers, which are more expensive than the already inflated prices. Merchants smugglings goods across borders to neighboring countries to sell for more profit has also been an issue and has driven up prices immensely. The government has announced strict consequences for merchants found guilty of what the President refers to as “economic sabotage” and has even banned the export of certain ingredients.

In the wake of these economic pressures, there is relief when the government passes legislation stating that unemployed people who can prove they have been actively looking for work will receive a stipend of $90 monthly from the government. For reference, the article mentioned the average salary of a working Algerian citizen is $240 if they are working in the private sector and $410 if they are working in the public sector. Ironically, it is the war in Ukraine that allows the Algerian government (natural resource-rich) to have flexibility in the national budget to implement this monthly allowance.

Evidence:

The article references testimony from Algerian citizens themselves through their statements regarding the matter and the article is written by an Algerian reporter who attended university in Algeria and does a lot of reporting on the North African region. The article also references certain legislature from the Algerian government.

Perspective:

The article talks about the economic turmoil faced by Algerian citizens in a closely factual sense but we see subjectivity when the author talks about the pressures the citizens are facing because of the corruption of the merchants that are driving prices up.

Source:

Sekkai, R. (2022, March 29). Algeria’s cash crunch: ‘buying oil feels like buying drugs’. BBC News. Retrieved March 29, 2022, from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-60710362