Food prices high against regional demand

Aug 28, 2008

HIGH oil prices and increasing demand have kept food prices up, a weekly mini-survey in Kampala’s major markets has shown.

By Vision Reporter

HIGH oil prices and increasing demand have kept food prices up, a weekly mini-survey in Kampala’s major markets has shown.

The price of maize flour, rice, beans and peas, remained at sh1,200, sh2,000 and sh1,600 respectively.

Groundnuts and simsim were sold at sh2,500, while the price of maize fell to sh600 from sh800 a kilogramme. Irish potatoes went for sh2,000. A heap of cassava and sweet potatoes went for sh2,000 and a bunch of matooke was between sh7,000 and sh10,000.

Cassava flour goes for sh700 from sh400 a kilogramme, while a kilogramme of salt went up to sh1,200 from sh700, while a sachet of salt remained at sh500.
A bar of soap has gone up to sh1,500 from sh800. Meat is being sold at sh5,000 a kilogramme, while chicken goes for sh10,000. A tray of eggs costs sh4,000 from sh3,700.

Robert Mugisa, a trader at Nakasero Market in Kampala, said the high cost of fuel had forced transporters to hike prices, adding that: “We have to pass the costs to the consumers.”

Crude oil prices have shot up to more than $115 a barrel. Oil firms say the prices are being influenced by speculative activities.

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