- Prices of basic food commodities in the country have been declining in the last six months.
- Timothy Njagi, a senior researcher from Tegemeo Institute, said food prices have eased as the harvest period in different parts of the country starts.
In the past two months, the country has seen a significant decline in the prices of basic food commodities, bringing much-needed relief to consumers.
Prices of basic food commodities in the country have been declining in the last six months.
Timothy Njagi, a senior researcher from Tegemeo Institute, said food prices have eased as the harvest period in different parts of the country starts.
“Consumers can expect easing of prices as the peak harvest period begins from August to November,” he said. He spoke to the Star on phone on Thursday.
United Grain Millers Association chairperson Kennedy Nyaga said a 90kg bag of maize is selling at between Sh2,800 and Sh3,200.
In Nairobi, maize is selling at between Sh3,050 and Sh3,100. In Nakuru, the 90kg bag is selling at Sh2,870, in Embu Sh3,000 and Sh3,000-Sh3,200 in Thika.
A bale of maize flour is retailing at between Sh1,150 to Sh1,360 in different areas.
A spot check by the Star showed that the price of different basic commodities has reduced.
A two-kilo packet of maize flour is selling at between Sh110 and Sh130 depending on the brand of unga in various supermarkets. This is a decrease of Sh5 to Sh7. Premium maize flour is selling at an average of Sh180.
A 2kg packet of sugar has also reduced to Sh300 from a high of Sh400 two months ago.
A bucket of Irish potatoes in different markets within Nairobi is selling at between Sh1,200 and Sh1,000. This is a decrease of more than Sh300 from the price it was selling at the beginning of the year.
Peter Kimani, a trader at Ruai market, said the prices have gone down in the last weeks due to the high supply of Irish potatoes in the market.
He, however, said the potatoes being sold in the market are immature as farmers are in a rush to sell their produce and make money.
“Farmers are struggling like most Kenyans due to the hard economic times, and there is also a high demand, hence the rush to sell the immature potatoes,” he told the Star on Thursday.
A kilo of onions in different markets in Nairobi is selling at between Sh100 and Sh70 from Sh120 and Sh150 a few months ago, while a kilo of tomatoes has also declined to an average of Sh90 from a high of Sh120 and above.
According to the Kenya Agricultural Market Information daily update on food commodity prices, a 50kg bag of Irish potatoes is retailing at Sh2,200 to Sh3,500 in different parts of the country.
A kilo of green maize is retailing at Sh20 to Sh50, a 50kg bag of kales/sukuma wiki is selling at Sh700 to a high of Sh2,000 in different parts of the country.
A kilo of spinach is going for as low as Sh20 to Sh70 while a crate of tomatoes in different parts of the country is selling at Sh3,840 to Sh6,400.
The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa food security outlook for May indicates that overall grain prices in the East African region remain generally lower than they were in the past 1-12 months. This is due to increased supplies from December/January harvests.
A 50kg bag of rice is most expensive in Kenya at between Sh7,000 to Sh10,000 compared to Rwanda and Tanzania.
The price of rice in Tanzania is the cheapest at $892 per tonne, mainly attributed to above-average rice harvests.
“Rice prices in the three monitored East African countries generally show declining trends, although Kenya has registered moderate increases of six to seven per cent over the past three to six months,” the food security outlook stated.
Bean prices (yellow-green) are highest in Kenya compared to other parts of the region, going at between Sh13,400 and Sh19,350 for a 90kg bag.
Njagi attributed the high price of beans to the heavy rains experienced in parts of the country in the March-April-May long rains season.
He said the heavy rains destroyed most of the crops in the farm, leading to the high price, which are dictated by the supply and demand forces.