Prices for agricultural products change within hours. A change in weather or buyers’ perception can lead to a rise or a fall. Below is a food market review of various agricultural products in most markets.
Potato
Used mainly for snack making, its demand has been on the rise in the last three years. At the start of the year, consumers enjoyed low prices thanks to December harvests and also imports.
Prices started to rise on the onset of long rains from Sh. 2500 to sh. 4500 per bag. Potatoes sold highest in May where a bag was going for sh. 5,000 to sh.5,500 a bag.
However, prices started to fall at the beginning of June retailing between sh. 2,000 to sh. 2500 a bag farmgate price. Prices are expected to fall further to almost sh.1,500 a bag as more farmers harvest.
Cabbages
Majority of cabbage farmers enjoyed high prices during the dry season due to a shortage of other vegetables. With the rains, more vegetables were available cheaply. Also, more farmers were able to produce cabbages increasing the market supply.
This pushed prices down from Sh. 80 a 4-kilo cabbage to Sh.30. Worse is that this is expected to fall further up to August up to Sh. 15 per head depending on the market location.
Onions
After a long period of low prices in 2022, finally, farmers managed to sell bulb onions at high prices in April -May 2023. In May, a kilo was sold at Sh. 80 farm gate price. This was a big time for farmers who had onions. The high prices were caused by scarcity in the market caused by zero imports and little farmers’ production.
In June, prices started falling with a kilo selling below Sh. 50 farmgate price. We expect more farmers to start harvesting up to August. Tanzania imports are also expected during this period which will push prices down to below Sh. 20 per kilo.
Capsicums
Capsicum prices have stagnated for a long time with a slight rise in one or two weeks in 2022. The average market price has been Sh. 30 per kilo. This will remain so with constant market supply.
However, for coloured capsicums, prices are expected to fall below sh 70 per kilo.
Read Also: How to farm capsicums with ease.
Tomato
Tomatoes are the most consumed vegetables. Their prices are the most dynamic changing with weather, supply or change in transport costs. It is the crop with good profit and bad losses at the same time depending on the season you have planted.
Currently, the prices are quite stable at Sh.3000 to Sh. 4000 per crate. Like onions, this is due to short farmers’ harvest due to cold weather and heavy rain experienced in April and May. Prices are expected to remain stable though they may fall to above sh.2500 per crate.
Maize
The truth for maize prices is that prices will remain high till September 2023 when harvesting begins. A price decline will be very minimal due to low supply. Most farmers are selling their maize green or for sillage, as it has high prices.
The push in prices will only happen if the government allows imports of maize.
Milk and eggs
since the onset of the prolonged drought experienced in 2021. milk prices have been on the rise. Cost of fuel and feeds, low Uganda imports have sustained the high prices despite the rains in 2023.
Milk prices will remain high at Sh. 70 per kilo until when the cost of fuel and electricity will fall.
Though there was an acute shortage of eggs in April that pushed prices to sh 600 per crate, the prices are expected to fall from June onwards amid high supply by a large number of layers farmers.
As a farmer how are you selling your products? What do you think of the future?
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