Introduction

From the last week of February until the last week of March 2025, Muslims around the world will observe a month-long fast during Ramadan, an obligation imposed by Islam. This practice is most often accompanied by a dramatic increase in food prices, which is difficult for consumers in Chad, as in many other countries.

What is Ramadan? 

Ramadan is one of the five obligations of the Muslim religion. For one month, from dawn to sunset, it is forbidden to eat, drink, smoke, or have sexual relations. In many countries around the world, such as Chad, this period is particularly feared by non-Muslims, who find themselves suffering from soaring consumer product prices. Food consumption increases significantly during Ramadan. People buy larger quantities of food products to prepare meals for breaking the fast, called iftar. This situation is not without its drawbacks for consumers themselves, as it can lead to higher food prices. Among the most affected food products are sugar, curdled milk, ice cream, meat, rice, flour, pasta, dates, and spices such as ginger and vanilla.

Ramadan is the Ideal Profit Window for Traders and Producers

In many cases, merchants anticipate increased demand during Ramadan and ostentatiously increase food prices, hoping to make a higher profit. On the other hand, producers face higher raw material or transportation costs, intending to pass on their profits to consumers by raising the price of the final product. In other cases, there is increased demand for a few specific products, leading to temporary shortages. Consequently, merchants with larger stocks of these products increase their prices to make greater profits. This latter situation also benefits producers, who find themselves affected by the constraints of increased production of these products, forcing them to modify employees’ work schedules and pay overtime, which they make up for directly through the market price of the final products.

Conclusion

Many families are uncomfortable with all these fluctuations. Households with limited incomes, who can no longer afford these consumer products during Ramadan, resort to low-quality products, thus changing their diet throughout Ramadan.

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