Tomato, Onion Prices Drop By 4 and 0.42%, Respectively in November

Relative to October 2021, prices of tomatoes, onions, and carrots have decreased by 4.00, 0.42, and 0.97 percent, respectively in November 2021.

A kilogram of tomatoes which retailed at 103 shillings across the country in October now sells at 98 shillings

The cost of a 200kg crate of tomatoes has been on the rise hitting between 8,000 and 8500 shillings in October. By the end of November, the cost had dropped to 6,000 shillings.

That of a small sack of onions (10kg) that has been going for 1,200 shillings is now 1,000 shillings according to the traders at Marikiti market in Nairobi.

According to the traders, the business has slightly improved since the lifting of the curfew and easing of other Covid-19 containment measures, and there has been an increase in demand for tomatoes and onions across the country.

With the slight price reduction the traders can now sell onion at 10 shillings up from 20 shillings and this has largely improved the demand for the commodity.

The small-scale traders now sell one large-sized tomato at 5 shillings up from between 15 to 20 shillings, three medium-sized at twenty shillings, and six large-sized ones or more at 50 shillings.

ALSO READ: November Inflation Dips To 5.80 Percent

The KNBS latest data highlights that the price of tomatoes has increased by 20.74 percent while that of onions has increased by 10.19 percent for 12 months.

The cost of the food items has been on a steady rise since October last year, all recording more than a 10 percent increase.

Even though there has been a drop in the cost of some commodities, the sad reality is, however, that life is still tough for most Kenyans, and food items are costly due to the impact of Covid-19 on the economy.

The overall year-on-year inflation rate as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) was 5.80 percent, in November 2021 according to the stats by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS).

The overall CPI increased by 0.45 percent from 116.674 in October 2021 to 117.203 in November 2021. The month-to-month Food and Non-Alcoholic Drinks Index increased by 0.91 percent between October 2021 and November 2021.