Market Information for Development

Fresh commodities flood kampala markets over the weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Mon, 21 May 2007 12:09:00 +0000

The market over the weekend had good supply of fresh commodities.
There was plenty of supply for commodities such as Matooke, fresh cassava sweet potatoes and Irish potatoes.
Other commodities that flooded the market included beans and groundnuts.
The supply for the above commodities exceeded demand hence pushing the prices lower than usual.

A lot of matooke was delivered in the markets from the Native areas of Mbarara and Masaka with a sack that weighs between 110kg-120kg selling at Ush 30,000 and 25,000 off lorry.

Irish potatoes had a good supply which forced a reduction in price. There were plenty of Irish potatoes from Ssingo that forced the Kabale crop to sell at Ush 55,000 ,Ssingo Ushs48, 000 and Kisoro for ushs50, 000.

Fresh cassava and sweet potatoes also continue to flood the markets especially kalerwe and owino, a 2-3kgs heap was selling at Ushs 500.

There was an increase in supply for the large and medium size beans and low supply for mixed beans. No change was registered for the small beans as there demand is low prompting farmers not to cultivate them. Mityana and Mubende has been the major supplier of large beans (K132) and medium sized beans like ‘Kahoola’ (Rosecoco) came from Mbarara and Kasese. Price range for Nambale (K132) beans was Ushs. 1,000- 1,100/kg off lorry Kalerwe and Owino markets. Medium size went for Ushs.1, 100-1,200/kg. The small size beans (white) are going for Ush.900/kg while Mixed beans at Ush.800/kg off lorry Kisenyi market.

Although there was an increase in supply of groundnuts, the price remained stable at Ushs 1,800 and Ushs 2,000 in most of the Kampala Markets due to the increase in demand as students prepared to go to school.
Traders also acknowledged the presence of some groundnut stock from Tanzania, as the other determinant for its stable price.

All in all the supply exceeded the demand for most commodities in these markets leading to a decrease in prices.

Market watch

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Tue, 15 May 2007 12:32:00 +0000

The markets have expirenced minor changes since last week as supply for maize grain and majority of other commodities have been good.
Maize grain price is stable between ugshs 250 to 255 per kilo from grain stockists.The grain is selling in all the markets between ugshs 500 to 600 per kilo for the high quality type.

There is also a good supply of other commodities such as Irish,cassava and matooke.Plenty of irishpotatoes are coming in from Kabale,Ssingo and Kisoro districts.
A sack which weighs about 120kg of the Ssingo crop is selling at 50,000Ugshs while Kabale is at 63,000Ugshs.

Plenty of yellow beans in the markets from Tanzania and Kasese costing ushs 800 offlorry per kilo.
Large beans( K132 ) stocks have reduced but there is an anticipation that price will drop due to the appearance of fresh beans in the market.
Retail price is between ushs 1300-1500 per kilo depending on the quality.
Medium beans are a favourite export to the Southern Sudan and World Health Organisation.

There is a reduction supply of groundnuts compared to last week. A sack was offloaded for ushs 140,000 and 150,000 from Hoima and Arua respectively at Owino market.

Other commodities that had good supply included sorghum and cassava and traders expect prices to go down further because of the harvesting season in growing areas.

Matooke is also in plenty and the trend is to remain for sometime because of the regular supply from Mbarara as fuel prices continue to stabilise although the trend can change if fuel prices shoot up like in the past weeks where trucks failed to deliver on time causing scarcity.

Traders anticipate the decrease in demand for most commodities and an incresae in demand for maize,beans and rice as the new school term begins.

The 15th source of the Nile Agricultural Trade show: July 17-22nd.

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Thu, 10 May 2007 09:34:00 +0000

The Uganda National farmers Federation has Organized the 15th source of the Nile agricultural trade show in Jinja district from July 17th to 22nd.
This year’s theme is: Agricultural innovations for better income.
The show is to attract over 500 exhibitors who will be farmers from countries neighboring Uganda and others from Asia, China, and the US.
The show aims at building partnerships between Uganda and other agricultural states.
It will be an excellent opportunity for Ugandan farmers to demonstrate the innovations, sell produce and also attract investors.

Middlemen still take a lion's share.

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Wed, 09 May 2007 10:25:00 +0000

Though farmers have maximized the use of the mobile phone’s to access market information from any part of the country, via sms on market prices, the middleman still stand’s out and take a lion’s share.

This was revealed at a recently concluded CELAC knowledge fair, which took place in luweero, an event that brought together a number of farmers from various districts who apart from participating in various activities ,managed to express their views about issues that affected them.

The middlemen are still regarded as exploiters who buy their produce at a lower price and sell at a higher price.
Although they appreciate the use of the mobile phone as the gadget which helps them know in seconds the current price of any crop at any market throughout the country, which could eliminate middlemen as price determinants, farmers still complain that the middlemen take advantage of their urgent need for money and cheat them by offering a small fraction of the market price for their produce.

‘When faced with fees to pay for children returning to school and the ever increasing medical and tax bills, I would rather sell at a lower price than not at all. say's farmer Ngati.

Much as they have all this market information, they also lack transport to ferry crops from the villages to urban areas where the prices are higher or to any other part of the country where they could fetch a higher price.
Some villages are unreachable, so visiting the area involves a tough hassle given the terrible neglected road systems.

‘ Having access to a roadside in the village where the transporters collect the produce is another hassle , so how do I take advantage of the good price in a Kampala market, when my tomatoes are busy rotting in my garden? I would rather give them to the middleman who will give me the money instead of losing out completely’ says a farmer from Sironko district.

It is expected that with the use of mobile phones, farmers would be better placed to negotiate but such circumstances make them succumb to middlemen who take advantage and buy at very low prices only to sell later or even sometimes instantly at very high prices.

The ever increasing fuel costs also make them more vulnerable to the middlemen who take advantage of the situation and justify the need to offer them very low prices for their produce.

They suggested the formation of more stronger farmer associations that would eliminate middlemen and make them fetch higher incomes from their produce.

CELAC knowledge Fair in luweero !

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 10:37:00 +0000

Several farmers from various Districts participated in the one-day event named ‘CELAC knowledge fair’ in Luweero at New Eden primary school Wobulenzi.

This year’s theme was the role mobile telephony to grass root farmers in rural Uganda .The Key objective was to enable farmers explore new market opportunities for their products, expose them to alternative ICT methods used by CELAC project and also enable them have face to face discussions with fellow farmers from other districts and be able to relate thereafter.
The other objective was to encourage farmers to have a sense of competition to realize better quality and more produce.

The CELAC knowledge Fair was organized by BROSDI in close collaboration with the CELAC Luweero Agricultural Network.
A broad range of activities where covered which included an exhibition with face to face interaction with farmers, learning sessions and discussions with farmers, buyers and several guests who attended the fair.
Other activities included debate, mock radio program and a knowledge-sharing forum where participation and management was mainly by farmers.

The event brought together farmers from the districts of Luweero, Masaka, Bushenyi, kabale, Tororo, Apac, Sironko ,Manafwa, Kasese, Pallisa Mayunge and lira, involved in farming bananas, orange fleshed sweet potatoes, cassava, tomatoes, millet ,beans ,groundnuts ,maize, Irish potatoes ,onions ,green pepper ,chicken ,turkey, ducks ,guinea fowl, pigs. Sheep and bees.

Farmers started off with a debate that was mainy derived from the day's theme and the topic was how the mobile phone has improved the lives of the rural grassroot farmers.
Many farmers appreciated the use of the mobile phone especially in helping to provide current market prices through sms that they recieve through CELAC,though it was noted that this mobile phone technology is a cause of family breakdowns and disputes as farmer' s also use it as a tool to ease communication in their other relationships.

Later the farmers where ushered into a radio mock program where they had to agree or diagree whether the grassroot farmer was mean't to remain poor and later into a knowledge sharing forum.

The major attraction of the day was the exhibition where these farmers had carefully arranged their stalls and here, they clearly explained the process and demostrated how to grow a given crop up to the time it is harvested.
There was also plenty of information about rearing various poultry and animals.

I came accross the stall which had the orange fleshed sweet potatoes which contain vitamin A and besides it were various products that had been made out of these sweet potatoes such as the herbal soap and Vaseline and also various baked products such cakes ,doughnuts etc .

On the side, there was another farmer from luweero who was encouraging farmers to use traditional /local medicine to treat poultry instead of the modern ones.

The farmers appreciated the role of CELAC project which has helped them achieve their dreams through relayed market prices on their mobile phones via sms messages.
‘Through the mobile phone message I can be able to sell my produce at a reasonable price since I have the prevailing market price.’ say Mrs. Kambuggu a farmer from Masaka.
They also appreciated the role of radio programmes and the literature given to them in form of how to guides from CELAC project.

Most of them expressed their hatred for middlemen who buy their produce at a very low price and later selling it in other Markets instantly at a higher price.
'The middlemen take advantage of our situations such as the urgent need to pay school fees, lack of transport and buy our produce at a very low price,we have no option but to sell to them in order to fulfill our demands.’say's Evelyn a farmer from Apac.

They expressed their need to form more stronger farmer associations that can help find markets for their produce instead of losing out to middlemen.

This exhibition was summed up with a price awarding ceremony and the best exhibitors where the farmers from Masaka,then Bushenyi farmers happened to take the second place and Luweero came third.

It was really an excellent opportunity where farmers expressed their views on various issues that affected them and looked forward to the next knowledge fair.

Ministry of Agriculture advises farmers on rainy season

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 06:59:00 +0000

In his message ,the Minister Eng Hillary Onek advised farmers to prepare for the first season that runs from march to May 2007.
he said that according to the information provided by the department of meterology,probabilities of normal to above normal rainfall favour most parts
of lake Victoria basin,central,western and central northern Uganda and on the other hand, there is an increased likelihood of normal to below rainfall over most parts of eastern, north eastern and south western Uganda.

He informed farmers that in areas where normal to above normal rains are expected, they should watch out for development of certain fungal and bacterial diseases especially for vegetables, tomatoes Irish potatoes and beans.

Landslides are expected in vulnerable highland areas of western -central, which pause a high risk of destroying peoples lives, crops and infrastructure.

Soil erosion, depletion and flooding are also expected during the season and therefore farmers in the country where advised to take note of the hazards and depending on the location be able to , plant improved crop varieties of short duration , avoid planting in lowlands and swampy areas where flooding is expected,avoid practises that encourage soil erosion such as planting down slope and rather engage in contour planting (across the slope),be ready to spray crop diseases and apply fertilizers where feasible to ensure maximum production.

Farmers where encouraged to abide to the advice so that the expected rains this season have a positive impact and an increase in production.

Agricultural information centres vital for farmers

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 09:26:00 +0000

Domestic food crop production and marketing in Uganda can be characterized as ad hoc. There remains a chronic unavailability of reliable information on the value chain for various produce as well as activities in the general market. This has resulted in the poor performance of farmers (and other players in the market) when conducting marketing transactions.

These farmers have limited access to information so as to make informed choices such as appropriate inputs (such as seeds and chemicals) and technology, and generally have to rely on the distributors of these products (middlemen). In this scenario, small farmers are characterized as existing at the mercy of these middlemen who manipulate the market by withholding retail prices and also demanding unreasonable credit.

In response to these types of situations faced by the farmers there is a need for more information centres so as to cater for these farmers who are ever being cheated by middlemen.For example, in Mbarara, they buy Matooke between Ugshs 1000- Ugshs 2000 from farmers who spend a lot of time caring for the crop before it is harvested and later sell the Matooke instantly in markets like Ruti between Ugshs 5000 and Ugs 7000,thus making a profit of between Ugshs 4000-5000 per bunch.

These information centres play a vital role when it comes to distribution of information to the farmers.

They also create a direct linkage to existing markets for closer working relationship between these buyers and the farmers.

Provision of accurate information to farmers on the most adequate farm supplies for their specific needs is also another vital area when it comes to information centres .

They also go along way and Supply the farmers with details of the specific quality and volume requirements of various target markets for their produce.

However most of the information in the centres is disseminated using ICT based methods and given the low literacy levels among farming communities, there is need to sensitise the farmers about the use of these information centres.

Community cereal banks enhance food security

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 15:00:00 +0000

A cereal bank is a community-based institution involving a village that stocks and manages the process of acquiring, pricing and supplying the grain.
The main reason for their formation is to improve food supply in hungry season especially during dry spells.
Cereal is bought from the village or from other markets at a cheaper price especially during harvest season and later sold to the villagers at a reasonable price when their granaries run dry.

The farmers are paid a better price for their grain, when the market prices are low and get money to pay for school fees and other basic necessities at that time.
Then when there is scarcity, the market price shoots up and the villagers turn to cereal banks as a source of grain. They purchase their grain from the cereal banks at a price they can afford, so they don’t have to move long distances to look for grain.
The banks in turn make a profit while also taking care of those in the community who would have bought the grain at a much higher price somewhere else.

A cereal bank determines how much cereal will take the village through the hungry season; the price at which it buys the cereal can be lower than the market price and when it buys from trader the price is not more than the market price.
Whenever there is scarcity, everyone buy from the bank and since more people may be having money to buy the grain, a cereal bank regulates the buying and selling such that those who don’t have much money can also buy the grain.

Cereal banks allow each member to buy a certain amount of grain thus determining how much each family can buy. This prevents individuals who might want to resell and make profits.
Through this cereal bank, I have been able to educate my children and even make some savings’ said Napio a member of a women’s cereal bank in northern Uganda.

Cereal banks can also allow people to buy on credit on condition that it works out a way of how to deal with people, who do not pay their debts.
In general cereal banks enhance food security and economic independence to rural communities especially the very poor.

A visit to Nakawa Market

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 07:39:00 +0000

Nakawa market is one of the major markets in Kampala and one of the biggest suppliers of fresh and dry foodstuffs for the population in and around the city. Other key markets include Owino, Kalerwe, Nakasero and Kisenyi.

Like any other market, Nakawa brings together a cluster of vendors selling vegetables, fresh foods, fruits, cereals, livestock products, poultry, locally made kitchenware, native pottery, used clothes and shoes.

This market is a legendary one. It has existed since time immemorial and continues to be one of the major hubs for consumers and businesspeople that source items here cheaply and sell them elsewhere at addition costs.

Being one of the most vibrant sources for Kampala residents, anyone would be compelled to know where these agricultural items come from.

The supply chain to these markets is a continuous process. Everyday, truckloads of foodstuffs offload at various terminals of the market but with most intervals experienced during weekends.

The supply chain is characterised by constant movement of vehicles from different parts of the country. But these are more visible along major highways that link to city to other parts of the country.

Interaction with suppliers reveals a lot. Different parts of Uganda are endowed with different agricultural items.

Matooke (bananas), potatoes (Irish), onions and cabbages are mainly sourced from Kabale, a district bordering Rwanda to the south west of the Uganda. Some Matooke also comes from Masaka district and a bunch costs between Uganda shilling 5000 to 7000 equivalent of US dollars 2.5 to 4 off the lorry.

A sack of Irish Potatoes from Ssingo or Kabale costs between Uganda shillings 35,000 to 40,000 equivalent of US dollars 20 to 23.

Mbarara District is also famous for sweet bananas, Bogoya in the local language. 'We also used to get it from Mbale but it was very expensive and our customers couldn't afford it,' Nalongo, who owns a sweet banana stall reveals.

The eastern region is cradle to sweet potatoes, cassava, rice, chickens, turkeys, watermelon and beans. “Sweet potatoes also come from Kayunga but the yellow ones are from Soroti,” Faizal, a sweet potato trader says. Kayunga district is famous for Pineapples, tomatoes and pumpkins.

A sack from Iganga is of high quality and goes for not less than Uganda shillings 70, 000 equivalent of US Dollars 40 off the lorry.

Mbale and Tororo districts are key onion producers. Cereals are mostly sourced from Soroti and Lira districts where they are cheaper compared to other parts of the country.

Nakawa market, strategically located along the eastern route has several sources of supplies. Most stock like for other markets in Kampala, comes from Kabale, Mbarara, Iganga, Kayunga, Masaka, and Soroti among others.

This initiative is supported by Bellanet Africa and its development associates

My week in the field

noreply@blogger.com (Becky) — Sat, 10 Feb 2007 11:12:00 +0000

This week gets to a better start. I visit Nakawa, Nakasero, Owino and Kalerwe markets, to collect prices for essential agricultural produce.

By 6:30am, I’m already part of the crowd in Nakawa Market, interacting with suppliers, buyers and sellers. I see different trucks full of Matooke, sweet potatoes, Irish potatoes, raw maize etc. Buyers crowd around the trucks to pay and offload their purchases.

As the day unfolds, more people come to the market, creating high demand for the produce and eventually causing prices to increase. Prices here are somehow elastic, as they can change any time depending on the time of the day. But of course like in any other market demand and supply are the key determinants of these prices.

There is plenty of supply of fresh commodities here save for cassava. The reason for this is not known and since everybody seems busy, non of them is willing to volunteer an answer.

The routine here is that buyers from various markets scattered all over Kampala come to big markets early enough to get better prices and better products and resell to their respective markets at a profit.

Cereals, beans, G. Nuts, Maize seeds etc are also in plenty. Prices of these items are somehow prohibitive because their season has past. Save for the G. Nuts and Cow peas, prices of other dry foods are below one USD at retail but could possibly be much lower at wholesale. Unlike international markets Uganda offers good prices for produce.

In Nakasero market the story is different. Prices are higher than anywhere else in Kampala. This market is located in the central business district of the city but also serves a unique category of consumers such as big hotels and tourists. Although different people have different reasons for the soaring prices here, in totality the answers reside in there. A one Elvis, a watermelon seller believes that Nakasero offers well selected and high quality produce from farmers compared to other markets.

Mrs. Mubiru who owns a fruit stall simply believes that the nature of customers coming to this market; especially tourists from Europe, Asia and other foreigners are the reason for the high prices.

Asians are common guests here. I see many buying spices such as parsley, durria, okra, celery and so many others. Hotels and restaurants are major customers here when it comes to Indian and Chinese spices.

Although most items here are local and therefore Uganda grown, apples, citrus, strawberries and dates are not. The latter are sourced from Kenya, Egypt and as far as Saudi Arabia.

I notice that prices for beef, kidney, liver and chickens are somehow uniform in all the four major markets in Kampala. If there is a shortage of supply of cows, all the markets are paralysed. Western Uganda is the chief supplier of beef and Eastern Uganda is known for supplying chickens and Turkeys.

Another market I visit is Owino. Situated downtown Kampala, this market is constantly full. Commodities here are sold cheaply compared to Nakawa and Nakasero although Owino spurs with Kalerwe in terms of good prices.

Prices for beans and maize in Owino are usually reasonable. But this week prices have soared as a result of schools reopening.

Kalerwe market is my last destination for the day. Prices here are also reasonable but the traffic congestion and lack of parking makes customers opt out. This market is also well stuffed.

All the major markets in Kampala benefit from fresh supply of commodities from Masaka, Kabale, Mbarara, Masindi and Eastern Uganda. This week, beef shortages are most likely as a result of quarantine due to an outbreak of foot and mouth disease in Western Uganda.