Food prices shoot up in upcountry towns, cities

Prices of major food items such as beef, maize flour and rice in upcountry cities and towns have increased amid ongoing travel restrictions over the Covid-19 lockdown.

For instance, the price of beef has increased by Shs2,000 in Mbale, Masaka, Lira, Gulu and Mbarara cities.

In Lira City, residents are now paying Shs14,000 for a kilogramme of beef and pork, up from Shs12,000 before the lockdown.

In Mbarara, a kilo of goat meat costs Shs16,000, up from Shs14,000, while in Kitgum, the price of beef has climbed to Shs16,000, up from Shs12,000.

In Mbale, a kilo of beef has increased to Shs14,000, up from Shs12,000, and in the neighbouring Manafwa District, goat meat goes for Shs15,000, up from Shs14,000.

 In Masaka, a 25kg bag of sugar now costs Shs115,000 up from Shs85,000. A 500-gram sachet of salt costs between Shs15,000 and Shs18,500, up from Shs,9000.

Masaka Resident City Commissioner Fred Bamwine said his office is yet to investigate the conduct of some traders.

“We are all affected by the lockdown and a few people should not take advantage to cheat others,” he said.

In Gulu, a box of tomatoes has increased by Shs80,000. Before the second lockdown, the box of tomatoes was trading at Shs240,000 but now it is going at Shs320,000.

In Jinja, a kilogramme of maize flour (first class) now costs Shs1,700, up from  Shs1,300. 

On June 18, President Museveni, among other restrictions, banned public and private transport and stopped boda bodas from carrying passengers for 42 days in a bid to stop the spread of Covid-19. However, trucks and other heavy duty vehicles were allowed to continue moving.

Mr Jimmy Wamalero, a butcher in Manafwa District, blamed the food price hike on the Covid-19 related restrictions.

“We increased the prices because we incur a lot of costs in transportation of animals due to Covid-19 restrictions,” he said.

At Mbale Central Market, a kilo of Kaiso rice goes for Shs2,300, up from Shs2,000 while that of Super goes for Sh3,400 from Shs3,000. A butch of matooke goes for Shs20,000, up from Shs15,000.

In Tororo, the food prices have also shot up. The price of maize flour has increased from Shs1,200 to Shs1,600 per kilogramme.

Fearing the worst

Mr Sailus Emuduk, a wholesaler at Malaba market, said the prices are most likely to double if the suspension on public transport remains.

“We get our merchandise from Mbale City and following a ban on inter-district travel, it has become difficult for us to easily go and stock and the prices might double,” Mr Emuduk said.

In most West Nile districts such as Arua, Moyo and Koboko, the prices of major commodities have gone up. At Arua Main Market, a bunch of matooke that used to cost Shs7,000 now costs Shs10,000 and, a kilo of sugar that used to cost Shs 3,000 is now at Shs 3,500. A kilo of yellow beans is at Shs3,000, up from Shs 2800.

At Moyo Main market, a kilo of rice (super) is going at Shs4,000; yellow and brown beans are going at Shs 3500 and Shs 2800 respectively.

Mr George Acidri, a trader, said: “The prices have risen because of high transportation costs. We fear making losses because the truck owners charge us highly. If this lockdown continues, prices of food will continue going up and customers may not buy them because many people are not working now.”

In Mbarara, a kilo of beans is sold at between Shs2,500 and Shs3,500 depending on the grade and type, up from between Shs2,000 and Shs2,500. Peas and groundnuts are sold at Shs5,000 per kilo, up from Shs4,000, while a basin of Irish potatoes is trading at Shs15,000, up from about Shs13,000.

In Karamoja, the situation is not any better. Ms Grace Nakut, a resident of Katanga Cell in Moroto Municipality, blames the food hike on the inter-district travel ban.

“Imagine posho (maize flour) right now is at Shs4,000 a kilo. A family with eight children needs to buy about four kilogrammes of posho just for two meals in a day,” she said.

However, in some districts and municipalities, the prices have fallen or remained stable. In Soroti, for instance, vendors in Soroti Main Market have raised concern following a sharp decline in the number of customers.

Ms Hadijja Nagobi, a seller of ripe bananas, said a cluster of ripe bananas (bogoya) which was formerly going for Shs 5000, is now going for only Shs3,000.

 In Bunyangabu District, western Uganda,  a bunch of matooke costs Shs7,000, down from Shs15,000.

Compiled by Bill Oketch, Fred Wambede, Al-mahdi Ssenkabirwa, Felix Warom, Simon Peter Emwamu, Robert Muhereza, Rashul Adidi, Patrick Ebong, Scovin Iceta, Felix Ainebyoona, Steven Ariong, Alex Ashaba Andrew Mugati, Joseph Omollo, Olivier Mukaaya, Tobbias Jolly Owiny, Alex Pithua, Tausi Nakato, Abubaker Kirunda, Denis Edema, Francis Mugerwa

& Malik F Jjingo

FOOD PRICES IN KAMPALA DROP AS LOCKDOWN BITES

AMOS NGWOMOYA

There has been a sharp drop in food prices across city markets,.

Traders attribute the drop to the current lockdown, saying people who normally buy food stuffs from markets no longer move.

This newspaper visited Kasubi, Wandegeya, and Kamwokya and Usafi markets and found that the prices of food such as matooke, ground nuts, Irish potatoes, beans, tomatoes, beef and chicken, among others have dropped.

However, the traders said there was a significant rise in the prices of lemon, oranges, ginger and garlic because doctors had recommended them as immune boosters to fight Covid-19.

The price of posho has also increased from Shs1,400 per kilo to Shs2, 000 in Kasubi and Wandegeya markets.

But the prices of different types of rice have remained the same across the three markets. These are; Kaiso (Shs2,500), Super (Shs3,500), Pakistan (Shs4,000), and Basmat (Shs10,000)

In Wandegeya market, a big bunch of matooke, which previously cost Shs30,000, is now at Shs20,000, while a small bunch now costs Shs8,000, down from Shs15,000.

In Kasubi and Kamwokya markets, a small bunch of matooke, which previously cost Shs12,000 is now at Shs7,000, while a big bunch, which previously cost Shs25,000, is now at Shs15, 000.

Mr Fred Ssekadde, a trader dealing in matooke, said the customer turnout has drastically dropped due to the lockdown.

“Restaurants used to be our biggest clientele base but they are now closed. As such, we have been compelled to cut the prices to avoid our merchandise getting spoilt,” Mr Ssekadde said.

A kilo of beef in Wandegeya is now at Shs14,000, down from Shs15,000. In Kasubi market, a kilo of meat has also dropped from Shs14,000 to Shs13,000.

A kilo of tomatoes in Kasubi market, which previously cost Shs3,000 is now at Shs2,000 while that of onions is now at Shs3,000, down from Shs5,000.

In Wandegeya market, a kilo of tomatoes has also dropped from Shs4,000 to Shs2,500. A kilo of fresh beans in Wandegeya market has dropped from Shs8,000 to Shs5,000 while that of dry beans has dropped to Shs3,000  from Shs4,000.

A local chicken, which previously cost between Shs35,000 and Shs40,000, now costs Shs25,000 in Wandegeya market.

The chairperson of Kamwokya market, Mr Henry Mubiru, said there is likely to be shortage of food in the market by next week because producers no longer bring merchandise to the city.

“Vehicles carrying cargo are not supposed to have more than two occupants yet with agricultural produce, producers prefer coming to the market by themselves. But they also need a driver and a conductor on the same vehicle. Therefore, the limited number of occupants in cargo trucks has forced producers to remain home,” Mr Mubiru said.

Price changes