By Stephen Nuwagira
Low supply has steadily pushed up the prices of produce in Ibanda district, with traders projecting the upward trend to continue over the coming weeks.
Presently, mixed beans range from shillings 2,400 to 2,800 in different parts of Ibanda municipality, up from shillings 2,000 at the end of June. Mixed beans cost shillings 3,000 in Rushango town council, Ibanda North County.
The price of yellow, green and short beans varieties increased from shillings 3,000 two months ago to shillings 4,500 per kilogramme, while that of big white and namable is at shillings 4,000 compared to shillings 3,200 and shillings 2,800, respectively, over the reporting period.
Maize has rose by shillings 200 to trade at shillings 1,200 per kilo and that of popcorn goes for shillings 2,000, while groundnuts were unchanged at shillings 6,000 a kilogramme.
Sorghum goes for shillings 1,800, peas cost shillings 6,000 and a kilo of unsorted millet is at shillings 2,700, while sorted millet costs shillings 3,200. Soya beans are at shillings 3,000 and cassava is down at shillings 400 compared to shillings 800 previously.
Tanazio Monday, a trader in Rushanga town council, attribute the rise in the cost of beans to a bad crop last season.
Godfrey Begumisa, the chairman of Ibanda Produce Dealers Association, said the beans on the market are only coming from stockists. Therefore, we expect the prices to continue increasing in the next few weeks, he said.
LEAD PHOTO CAPTION: The prices of beans and maize have risen in Ibanda over the past two months. Photo by Stephen Nuwagira
