By Shire Abdi - Reporter
DJIBOUTI, Aug. 2, 2026 – Djibouti has secured a reduction in bottled water prices after reaching an agreement with producers during consultations aimed at easing inflation and protecting household purchasing power, the state-run Djiboutian News Agency (ADI) reported on Saturday.
The agreement was reached during a meeting chaired by Commerce and Tourism Minister, Orbis Helaf Orbis, which brought together bottled water producers, representatives of bakers' associations and bakery operators to discuss recent price increases affecting essential goods.
Under the agreement, the retail price of a pack of six bottles of mineral water will be reduced to 450 Djiboutian francs (about $2.54), a level the government said reflected a balance between producers' operating costs and consumers' purchasing power.
Bottled water producers told the meeting that rising production costs, including higher prices for raw materials and supply chain disruptions linked to tensions in the Middle East, had increased their operating expenses.
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Representatives of the meat sector said higher livestock import costs and margins charged by some intermediaries had contributed to rising meat prices, while bakers cited flour supply delays and higher fuel costs as factors driving up production expenses.
The commerce minister said the government would examine challenges facing the livestock sector with the Ministry of Agriculture and described the pressures on food producers as partly stemming from disruptions to global trade and geopolitical tensions affecting international markets.
The Ougoul bottled water company said it would maintain its existing prices despite higher production costs, a move welcomed by the minister as an example of private sector support for government efforts to limit the impact of inflation on households.
The consultations form part of Djibouti's broader strategy of engaging businesses to stabilize prices of essential goods as authorities seek to contain inflation and cushion consumers from rising living costs.