Food prices go up in Lake Victoria zone

By Correspondent

Mwanza

Prices of food commodities in Mwanza Region have gone up in what traders say was triggered by low supply and soaring prices of fuel.


A survey conducted by this paper in the city’s major markets, indicates that the prices, particularly those of cereals, such as rice and maize have almost doubled.

“Over the last few months a 100kg sack of maize from Geita, Kagera and the Southern Highlands regions was sold at 40,000/-, today the same sack of maize sells at over 60,000/-.

A resident of Nyamagana, Makoye Zenobi, called on the authority to come to the rescue of low income earners by regulating the prices of foodstuffs in the region.

Zenobi said some traders have hiked the prices to get supper profits without considering the poor who cannot afford to purchase them.

He said prices of cereals were reasonable in January and February though it was farming season but wondered why they have gone up this month when farmers in various parts of the country have started harvesting their crops.

The survey has established that a sack of rice especially from Geita, Shinyanga and Mbeya regions which previously sold at 120,000/-, now sells at 240,000/-.
At the Mwanza Main Market in the Central Business District, Nestory Bugambabyaki, who is a customer, blamed the authority for letting food traders to set the prices they want.

Bugambabyaki did not rule out a possibility by the traders to form up a cartel to milk the poor.

At Kirumba Market the situation is the same, a kg of rice is sold between 1500/- and 2000/- from the previous 1000/- and 1700/-.

Jacob Sadik, a food trader for over 16 years, said suppliers hiked prices of cereals in March due to low supplies and increase in fuel prices.

Sadik said in January this year, there was a high supply of cereals but the supply dropped in March, adding, “sometimes when we went out to buy rice we would end up with only one third of the quantity we wanted.’’

Authorities here say that the prices would come down as many farmers in different parts of the Lake Zone which feeds Mwanza and many other towns, are now harvesting.

Energy and Water Utilities Regulatory Authority (Ewura) last week announced increase of pump prices by 5.63 per cent, and consumers are worried that the prices of commodities, including foodstuffs would surge as a result.
The surge is based on the fact that most of the goods are transported to their point of consumption by trucks which use diesel. 

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN