FOOD PRICES ANTICIPATED TO REDUCE AMIDST RAINS

By Harriet Sese

Business men and women in Daraja Mbili market in Kisii County have expressed much relief upon the onset of rains after a long period of drought experienced in the country over the past few months.

This has started bearing positive results for most food commodities which had been greatly affected due to lack of rain. However, this has come with some setback which is reduced numbers of customers who are now getting the food stuffs from their farms.

Moraa Kenanda, a business woman selling kales (Sukuma wiki) at Daraja Mbili has explained the effect of reduced prices on vegetables due to their increased availability over the past two weeks.

“The prices of vegetables we used to sell have dropped. The big sack weighing a hundred kilos costs two thousand Kenyan shillings while the one that is not fully packed costs one thousand seven hundred shillings as well as a thousand shillings for fifty kilos. This has resulted to fewer numbers of customers. “She said.

Mary, another vegetable seller in the same market has talked of the many benefits she has received and what she has been able to accomplish through that business which she has done for quite a long time.

“This is the business I have done for a period of forty years now and it has helped me teach all my children and also buy land for us to stay. During the drought period, gesare, a type of vegetable, was in demand and had value. Since it started raining, this vegetable is in plenty, thus not in demand anymore. “Narrated Mary.

Other food items such as tomatoes and onions have not been affected much with the changing climatic conditions. This is because these commodities take time to grow when planted and since the rains started not long ago, it will still take time for adjustments in their prices.

Mellen Kemuma who sells onions at the market has clarified that onion prices are still up since they are planted in a specific region.

“Even as we continue experiencing the rains, onions are still scarce because they come from one place-Tanzania. In the fifth and sixth months of the year that’s when they are readily available from Tanzania which gets imported in the country and causes the price to decrease due to their increased availability. Mellen explained.

Kisii County is among the few counties that have started experiencing rainfall even as many people across the country continue waiting with expectant hearts for the rains to be back so that they may have food in plenty which is a basic need.

Harriet Sese