Kwilu: production of local alcohol, cause of the rise in agricultural prices

Kilembe, June 1^st, 2026 (CPA). – The production of local alcohol, commonly known as ‘lotoko’, has been identified as the main cause of the rise in prices of agricultural products, particularly cassava and maize, in the village of Kilembe and its surroundings, in the territory of Gungu (in Kwilu, in the south-west of the Democratic Republic of Congo), CPA has noticed on Monday during a mini-survey. “The production of local alcohol, commonly known as ‘lotoko’, remains the main cause of the rise in agricultural product prices in the village of Kilembe and its surroundings,” has declared Therese Gingombe, a seller of these products in the village of Lala. According to Ms Gingombe, a large tub of cassava, which used to be sold for Fc 15,000, now costs Fc 25,000 – a 66% increase – and a 10-litre bucket of maize seeds costs Fc 7,000 instead of Fc 4,000, a 75% increase. Furthermore, she has indicated that the alcohol producers who are flooding these villages are causing a shortage of these staple foods, as they buy them in large quantities and then stockpile them. The situation is worrying the population, who now have to travel long distances to buy supplies in villages further away from the area. “This situation has also had a detrimental effect on the health of the local population, who are already suffering from malnutrition, with some cases already recorded and being treated at the health centre of the Catholic mission in Kilembe,” she has lamented.