Shoppers weighed down by high priced goods

Agnes Kyotalengerire

Paul Mutebi moves from one stall to another, haggling with traders before he finally settles for a medium size bunch of Matooke at a reasonable price for his family of six. “Food prices have shot up, you cannot believe it but two months ago, I would only pay sh10,000 for a bunch like this. But now I have to part with sh18,000,” a disgruntled Mutebi says.

Regina Akello, another regular shopper at Nakawa Market, says she has learnt to ration onions something she used not to do in the past months. “A katasa (plastic bowl) full of onions that cost me about sh7,000 at the beginning of the year now costs sh15,000, double price!” Akello laments.

Food items have registered a tremendous increase in prices over the last three months. Traders attribute the increase to a number of factors though the majority blame it on Ugandan traders exporting the food to neighbouring countries like Sudan, Kenya and Congo.

William Ssalongo, a fruits trader at Nakawa Market, says in the past, the price of pineapples and watermelon was relatively low be-cause the war in Sudan could not favour traders to export fruits there. Now that Sudan is politically stable, most of the pineapples grown in Bugerere are exported to Sudan because the prices are attractive.

This has greatly affected  supply on the Ugandan market and consequently the prices, Ssalongo explains. He adds that the few pineapples grown in Kabale are also exported to Congo.

Similarly, Sam Tumwesigye, a trader dealing in cereals, noted that prices of rice, maize flour, beans and groundnuts have increased by between sh500 and sh1,000 in the last three months. Tumwesigye blames it on low supply.

“A 50kg bag of maize flour that cost sh70,000 in January now costs sh90, 000,” he confirms.

However, Tumwesigye is optimistic that prices will fall when the harvest season starts. He also highlights the high demand as a driving factor since the majority of traders are exporting the cereals to Sudan.

Norah Ajambo, another trader, says prices of onions and Irish potatoes have shot up because of low supply from areas of production like Kabale. “A bag of Irish potatoes that previously cost sh70,000 now costs sh130,000,” Ajambo explains adding that traders are forced to buy onions and carrots from Kenya for as high as sh500, 000 and sh70,000 per sack respectively.

The price of chicken has equally increased. Shakilar Nakalyango, a chicken trader, attributes it to sky rocketing prices of chicken feeds.

The Easter season has caused an increase in beef, goat meat and liver prices, pushing them up by sh2,000. However, Godfrey Ssendege, a butcher, speculates a reduction in prices once the Easter season ends.

On the contrary, prices for tomatoes have dropped from sh12,000 to sh7,000 for a katasa (about 5kgs). Traders attribute the drop in price to the new harvest.