Butternut pumpkin supply high

(Credit: Sauda Nabatanzi)

LATEST MARKET PRICES

Besides being food, the crop has become a source of income that has helped boost the country's agricultural economy.

Butternut pumpkin is technically a fruit though used as a vegetable in most cases, according to Stella Nalugya, a fruit vendor at Nakawa market.

When ripe it becomes sweeter, richer and it can be consumed as bread spread, roasted, baked, smashed soup or even food.

"Butternut is sweet, soft and it can be taken alone without any added soup. This makes it  perfect for my toddler," says Jacky Nankya, a mother of two.

Currently, the yellow-orange delight is on-season and one can get a small sized butternut at sh2,000 and a big one at between sh2, 500 and sh3, 000 at Nakawa Market.

At Owino market, the fruit costs sh1, 500 on wholesale and sh2, 000 for retail buyers.

"My biggest buyers are hotel owners who take the fruit in wholesale as they blend to make squashes and soup to meet their customer's needs," says Nalugya.

Martin Ajok, a nutritionist in Bunga, says the butternut pumpkin is another alternative mothers can use in case their babies are fed up of feeding on smashed potatoes.

It's also good for adults, he adds.

"It is filled with vitamins C, A and E, magnesium, fiber and potassium which are all helpful to the body."

From planting, they take four months to mature and harvest and need a lot of water to thrive.

Habiba Nambuya, who imports them from Kenya and sells to retailers and individual customers in Kasubi Market, says the prices eased a bit because it is a rainy season in Kenya.

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