Market latest: Banana prices still up

LATEST MARKET PRICES

"Locally known as "bogoya", yellow bananas are gradually disappearing from the market. The price of the tropical fruit which sold rather cheaply in the last two months has since hiked.

"Dennis Ssenabulya, a fruits seller in Nakawa market in Kampala, says: "Prices of these yellow bananas highly depend on their sizes and the season."

Now that they are off-season, a big cluster is going for as much as sh6,000, a medium one at sh5,000 and the relatively small ones at sh4,000 for small-scale buyers.

If you are a wholesale buyer, a big bunch which bears close to twelve clusters is at sh40,000, a medium one at between sh30,000 and sh35,000 while a small bunch costs sh25,000."

Small bananas

"These are the small sized bananas, which are significantly sweeter than the big ones. If you are a first-timer here, "ndiizi" s what you will hear the locals call them.

Like the rest of the banana family, the sweet banana supply too has gone down in the city markets.

Stella Nassuna, a trader in Nakasero market, says that a big bunch goes at sh30,000, a medium one at sh20,000 and a small one at sh15,000 for wholesale buyers. She says that about two months ago, sweet banana bunches were costing sh10,000, sh8,000 and sh7,000 respectively.

Not anymore.

On the other hand, small scale buyers can get a big cluster at sh4,000, a medium one at sh3,000 while a small one is at sh2,000.

The vendors blame the low supply on the heavy rains hindering the maturing of the fruit."