This archive report was first published on 10 December 2019.
Heavy rainfall in central Kenya has led to a sharp increase in food prices, causing difficulties for farmers and traders.
According to reports, the persistent rains have resulted in massive crop loss, particularly for horticulture crops that are sensitive to changing weather conditions.
Mr Kariuki Gatiba, a trader at Nyeri Town market, noted that tomatoes and potatoes have been greatly affected by the rains.
"Tomatoes and potatoes are the greatly affected since they are sensitive to rains and changing weather conditions," he said.
As a result, prices for these commodities have increased significantly. A 17-kilogramme bucket of potatoes now costs Sh550, up from Sh400 last month.
Tomatoes have also increased in price, from Sh60 to Sh80, and are expected to rise further.
Other vegetables such as onions, capsicums, carrots, peas, and French beans have also seen price increases, ranging from 10 to 50 percent.
According to Cyrus Gichuki, a majority of fruits do not do well during the cold season, leading to a shortage of fruits such as pawpaw and passion fruit.
"The demand is not meeting the supply which means the prices will go up. And even in the coming days, the prices will even go higher as the supply diminishes," he said.
Currently, there is a shortage of watermelons, which are majorly sourced from lower eastern and coastal regions.
A kilogramme of pawpaw is selling at Sh150, up from Sh80, representing an 88 percent increase, while a kilo of passion fruit is selling at Sh180, up from Sh100, representing an 80 percent increase.
