supply sice. The shortar'e of fcreirn eYchanee resultec in severe restrictions on essential imrcrts of raw materials an cJ inter­ mediate products. This, in turn, lee' to serious under- utilization of manufacturine capacity and a reduction in ~ames­ tic output. Another major constraint was the drourht which af­ fected arricultural production adversely in a number of countries, while reduced imports caused food prices to rise. The difficulties encounterec in I:"Jarketinf arricultural prccuce ap­ eravated the situation further. Notwithstandinr the suhsiCiza­ tion of basic food products in many countris fer the first time 102 E/ECA /CH. 9/5 since 1979, 11/ the price index for feed increase~ more than that for generalconst:mption in 1979. In that year fooc prices v1ent up by 24 per cent cent, while the rise in the consumer price in­ de:x was 22.9 per cent. 12/ For instance, in Niferia, the sharp over-all price increase in1981 resulted from a threefold rise in food prices. 'l'able V.C.1 Prices {Percentafe change from previous years) 1979 1980 1981 Weighted averafe Hecian Weighted value averafe r·1e dian value Weightec Median ave rafe value Consumer price inde:x a/ 28. 1 12.6 15.5 12.4 25.4 12.5 Food pr(~e in ce :X :'r?.l 13.5 11.6 1 3. 9 13.9 24.0 14.3 Source: International Fi_!':ancinl Statistics, Yearbook 1982; ECA secretariat. ~/ For 37 countries; see +he statistical annex. El For 24 countries; see the statistical annex. 24. Domestic inflation accelerated, alttcufh import prices rose much less rapidly than frevict:sly, ~ainly reflecting the drop in oil prices. The unit value of experts (in US cellar terms) decreaseo by 4.7 per cent, as comparee to an increase of 23.2 per cent in 1980. It follows that African price increases cannot be attributed to importee international inflation. In Zaire, for. instance, domestic consul:'ption prooucts recorcec higher price in­
**Analysis**
The text discusses the economic situation in several countries, specifically the impact of supply shortages, drought, and import restrictions on agricultural production, food prices, and inflation. It also touches on the effect of oil price drops on import prices. The text presents statistics and data to support its claims.

**Category**
Economic development, International trade