Food prices likely to increase as festive season nears

ECONOMY | FOOD

As the festive season nears, foodstuff dealers warn that prices are likely to go up.

According to Florence Tumusiime, a retail shop operator at Nakawa market, prices of commodities such as rice, sugar and posho are currently fair and low.

She explains that a kilogramme of rice currently goes for between sh4,000 and sh4,500 compared to sh5,000 it was a month ago.

"Sugar was between sh5,000 and sh6,000 but now costs about sh4,500 per kilogram, while posho goes for between sh2,000 and sh2,500 compared to sh3,000 it costed a month ago,"

A 50kg of posho is currently between sh90,000 and sh100,000, a reduction from a range of sh130,000 and sh140,000 in a period of a month ago, according to her.

"The prices are expected to increase as the festive season nears from mid next month," Tumusiime says.

Christine Ainembabazi, a trader who mainly deals in Irish potatoes says price of Irish potatoes was relatively low in a period of about a month ago due to high supply from different areas like Western Uganda, Kapchorwa and Kenya.

"But as the supply from Kenya and Kapchorwa has declined the prices are on the rise. A month ago, a bag of Irish potatoes was costing about sh130,000 but it is now cost between sh150,000 and sh160,000," Ainembabazi said.

"With the festive season approaching and supply declining, the price is expected to increase and even hit the sh200,000 mark," Ainembabazi told New Vision.

She adds that tomatoes are another commodity that has been affected by the supply season saying that a carton of tomatoes used to go for about sh250,000 but it has increased to sh350,000.

A plantain (Gonja) trader, who did not want to be named explained that business has been slow recently, but attributes this to low purchasing power of people.

"Some of us who deal in perishables are forced to sell our commodities even at very low prices to reduce on the losses," the trader said.

Alex Musoga, who deals in fruits at the market, says prices for commodities such as passion fruits and oranges have increased.

For example, a basket of passion fruits currently costs about sh50,000, compared to about sh30,000 a month ago.