Africa-Press – Tanzania. Bumper rice harvest has led to little price change during this year end festive seasons.
Traders said, despite birth of Jesus to be cerebrated tomorrow, prices for the staple food remained the same as they have ample stocks—mainly from Morogoro and Mbeya.
On top of that the bumper harvest was experienced this last year thus stabilising the price a great deal.
Mr Abdallah Juma, a rice trader from Tandale market, said despite stable price the business was good as many afford to buy as price were same last and this year.
“We expected to see prices going up due to Christmas demand but the trend went against our expectation…but business are not bad, still good,” Juma said.
The prices according to Daily News survey show that prices are almost similar of last year ranging between 1,500/- and 2,500/- a kilogramme in Ilala, Temeke and Kinondoni districts.
The traders, according to Mr Juma, are still make profit since are buying at wholesale from upcountry at between 1,100/- and 1,500/- a kg. A 100-kilo sacks goes around 110,000/- to 150,000/-.
A Tandika Trader, Mr Saidi Mjema, seconded his Tandika counterpart saying the price of rice remained stable in Temeke despite Christmas to be around the corner.
“Yes, the business is good despite stable prices as we see a number of customers coming to buy. However, every customer wants a rice from Mbeya…we are sometime forced to tell them this is from Mbeya in order to sell other rice varieties,” Mr Mjema said.
Rice from Kyela, Mbeya has a superior taste and aroma pulling customer’s country wide to like it. This throw challenges to other varieties and forcing traders to cheat in a bid to sell other rice as from Mbeya.
A wholesaler rice trader at Ilala, Boma Market Mr Mdachi Jalibu said since rice became a main staple food to many Dar residents his business are flourishing to now enable him to sell around 50 sacks a day compared to merely three sacks a day last year.
