Fries sellers reduce portions as potato prices rise by 200 percent in Nyeri

Households in Nyeri are spending more to put food on the table as food prices soar, with a 17kg bucket of potatoes selling for Sh900 more for the last one month.

Such a bucket of potatoes now sells for between Sh1,100 and Sh1,300 in the county.
Traders at the main market in Nyeri town have increased potato prices by between Sh400 and Sh500 due to a persistent drought that has affected production, an increase of 200 percent.

There is an acute shortage of the produce, pushing the prices from Sh400 to Sh900, said Caroline Wambui, who trades at the Nyeri Whispers market.

“We are sourcing the potatoes from neighbouring counties. A 50kg bag is selling for between Sh5,500 and Sh6,000,” she said.

The high cost of potatoes has in turn prompted owners of fast-food joints to reduce the portions of fries they serve their customers.

“Instead of increasing the prices of a plateful of chips, we are opting to sell the chips in smaller portions,” said Ms Alice Mwangi, proprietor of New Chicken World Café in Nyeri town.

She also noted that the number of walks-in customers is dropping as people lament lack of money.

A plate of fries goes for Sh150, with no accompaniment.

A 50kg bag of potatoes used to sell for Sh3,000 but this has doubled in the past month.

“It made no economic sense to continue buying the sack. Now I buy in buckets, which is largely informed by the orders of fries I receive a day,” Ms Mwangi said.

Chaka Market

Another trader, Ms Mercy Maina of Chaka Market, said the prices will remain high for a while until substantive rain falls.

“It is tough for everyone … because even selling this full bucket is a task. People do not have money,” she said.

But with the rains and potatoes on some farms already at the flowering stage, it will be a matter of time before the prices come down.

“We hope that before Christmas, the prices might go down and people can afford to buy the produce. The current rain, though not sufficient, will help,” she added.

Traders who specialise in cereals get them from neighbouring Tanzania and sell a kilogramme for Sh150, up from between Sh60 and Sh90.

“We have people who source the maize for us and bring it all the way … The prices have gone up as a consequence of drought,” said Ms Phoebe Mwangi.

She said buying maize from Tanzania is cheaper than sourcing it locally.