Demand pushes pineapple prices up
The war in South Sudan has had a negative impact on trade in commodities such as foodstuff. PHOTO BY FRED MUZAALE
What you need to know:
- The change in seasons can be felt by consumers of pineapples whose prices have shot up in a period of two months, writes Fred Muzaale
There is no doubt that a pineapple is a popular fruit that is consumed either in the form of slices of the fresh fruit or as juice. There are few large-scale pineapple growers and pineapple is produced exclusively as a smallholder crop.
Uganda has two seasons of pineapples without any irrigation. Due to the rise in exports to neighbouring countries, there has been increased demand for supply of pineapples and local consumers are beginning to feel the pinch.
Pineapple prices have risen due to the low supply of the produce on the market. The current trend is unusual as fruit prices tend to go down during rainy season.
John Nsimbi, a pineapple trader in Nakasero market, says the price for pineapples started increasing in August, during the onset of the dry season.
“The rise in pineapple prices is a result of the short supply of the fruit on the market because it is now off-season time,” Nsimbi says.
He says the prices began to rise in early August and reached its highest in mid-September.
However, he says, the price is beginning to reduce, although it is still high.
Prices
Irene Mutumba, a pineapple trader in Mukono Town, says a big pineapple goes for Shs6,000 up from Shs4,000 before August while a medium sized one goes for Shs4,000 up from Shs2,500.
Daniel Kiwanuka, a pineapple farmer in Kiwugu village, Kangulumira Sub-county, Kayunga District, says the pineapple harvest season is expected to begin next month (November), which will push the prices down.
“In two weeks’ time, we shall start harvesting pineapples however, the season will reach its peak late next month,” Kiwanuka says.
The farmer, however, predicts that if the security in Southern Sudan stabilises, pineapple prices may not go down because most of it is taken there and the prices are lucrative.
The main pineapple growing areas in Uganda include, Kayunga, Luweero and Mukono districts. Most of it is grown by small holder farmers.
About pineapple production
It is important to note that Uganda produces only 0.35 per cent of total pineapple production for East Africa compared to 80 per cent and more than 19 per cent produced in Kenya and Tanzania respectively.
The country does not at the moment have enough volumes to deal with increase in demand but there is unexploited potential to increase the supply.
