POOR ROADS BLAMED FOR RISE IN PRICES OF ESSENSTIAL COMMODITIES

Some affected commodities in the main market in Arua city.
 
By Sunday Amandi
Arua city
 
Prices of essential commodities have risen so high in the major markets in Arua city, and this has sparked concern among vendors as consumers dig deeper into their pockets to afford them.
 
The price of items like tomatoes, Irish potatoes and onions, have increased leading to dwindling supplies and higher costs for consumers. 
 
This volatility is placing mounting pressure on both traders and consumers, disrupting market dynamics, eroding household purchasing power, and sowing uncertainty across both retail and wholesale markets
Beatrice Eyotaru, a long time vendor in the central market in Arua city narrated the changes and said they have slowed down the purchasing power of the customers
 
“The prizes of these items are really high, we have been buying tomatoes at 500,000 shillings a box, customers end up complaining, the prize of onions has reached up to 130,000 shillings a net, we have been buying this onion at 60,000 shillings, we are buying a sack of Irish potatoes at 150,000shs, 160,000shs, up to 170,000shs shillings,” Beatrice said.
 
Similarly, James Amandu, who deals in onions states that, the prize of onions has become exorbitant in the city due to poor supply.
 
But Issha Walusibe, a major supplier of these commodities in the city attributes these price changes to a number of challenges faced at production   and transportation, and calls for the intervention of the government to normalize the situation.
 
“When rain is too much, it affects these goods, onions get rotten, it reduces the production of these goods, they are being taxed a lot, thats why we may get these goods at a lower price, but from where we get them up to the final destination, you may find you have paid a lot of money, you pay at every point, another issue is also the issue of transportation, the road to Arua is in a sorry state,” said Issha.
 
These items with higher prizes in Arua city and parts of West Nile are mostly imported to the region from the neighboring countries and some far away districts in the country, as their local production is law and unreliable to satisfy the market demand.