Berisha: Families in Kosovo spend more than half their budget on food

Rising consumption does not necessarily mean a rise in citizens’ well-being, according to economist Brikena Berisha.

A guest on the eighth episode of the “Rrugëtimi” podcast, Berisha spoke about the cost of living and how the spending of Kosovo families should be interpreted, as Telegrafi reports.

She said one of the issues that needs to be understood is the difference between consumption and well-being.

“Definitely, what is really also at the origin of what interests me is making it known that consumption does not mean well-being,” Berisha said.

Referring to the Household Budget Survey of the Kosovo Agency of Statistics, she said that more than half of a family budget can go on food alone.

“According to the Household Budget Survey from the Kosovo Agency of Statistics, a family in Kosovo spends 55 per cent of its budget, and even up to 65 per cent of the budget in the poorest families, on food. That means more than half goes on food,” Berisha declared.

According to her, the fact that citizens can be seen consuming or buying more should not automatically be taken as evidence that their well-being has increased.

“We can see that they are buying more, but at the same time the future is very uncertain for them, because at the same time expectations of what normal life is are rising, and costs are rising with consumption,” she said.

In the discussion on “Rrugëtimi”, Berisha treated well-being not only in terms of monthly income, but also in relation to economic security, health, social protection and families’ ability to plan for the future.

You can watch the full interview with Brikena Berisha in the eighth episode of “Rrugëtimi”, a Telegrafi production.