Dar commodity prices soar on Christmas holiday
DAR ES SALAAM, TANZANIA - Christmas and New Year seasons have been a hard holiday period with biting costs on food commodities due to inflation to meet the people's demands of family presents, food and new clothes.
(A dar es es salaam resident weighing his option at a market recently, prices have soured in Dar es salaam due to oncoming christmas and New year festivals Photo by Kenan Kalagho)
A random survey by the East African Business Week in Dar es Salaam at Kariakoo, the city's biggest market last week, revealed a sharp increase of food prices as Christmas drew near and the preparation for the New Year.A kilogramme of the best quality rice, that previously sold at Tshs 1,800 (US$1.05), just two weeks ago now goes for Tshs 2,100 ($1.35) a kg whereas the low grade rice that sold at Tshs 1,600 ($1.03) a kg, is at Tshs 1,900 ($1.22).
The survey also showed an increase in prices of other commodities such as meat, soya beans, spices and other essentials with traders attributed to fluctuations to increased cost of transporting the food from upcountry.
The prices of beef at many Dar es Salaam city butcheries also shot up from Tshs 4,500 ($2.90) a kg at the end of November to Tshs 6,000 ($3.87) per kg of mixed cut beef.
There has been also a noted increase in the price of chicken from between Tshs 13,000 ($8.40) and Tshs 15,000 ($9.68) per live chicken to between $8.68 and Tshs 20,000 ($12.90).
The Secretary General of the Kariakoo main market, Mr Mnyau Hamis Mnyau said prices of various commodities had risen as a result of the festive season and high cost of living.
"All these food commodities you see here at the Kariakoo main market are brought in from upcountry regions of Iringa, Mbeya, Arusha and other regions where traders incur very high costs of transportation," Mnyau said.
A trader at Kariakoo Jumanne Salum said each year during the festive season city customers experience high costs in food items due to the excitement. He also blamed the high prices this season to transportation. "The high transportation cost is attributed to increases in the fuel prices," warning that "Customers shouldn't expect the prices to go down because that would mean traders would incur loses," Mnyau said.
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