Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The Basic Food Index (BFI) for December 2020 registered an increase of 0.3% from the November index, according to the report released this week by the Commerce Department.

Despite the significant drop in the cost of eggs at -4.3%, followed by ice cream at -0.4% and sugar at -0.3%, the DOC report points out that the “increase” in the December BFI “is due primarily to the high cost of chicken legs, fresh fish, rice, taro, turkey tails, mayonnaise and corned beef.”

According to the report, the cost of a 22-pound box of chicken legs has been on the rise since September of last year, whereas the cost of eggs ha continued to drop since August 2020. Furthermore, the rest of the food items not referenced did not change in December 2020.

Two merchants contacted early this week after DOC released the report, told Samoa News that the December hikes come with Christmas and other holiday celebrations and that means more purchases of “Samoan favorites”, such as chicken, turkey tails, taro, and fish.

“And it’s always this time of the year where prices are up, heading into the first week of the new year,” said one of the merchants, who responded to Samoa News inquiries.