A spot check at Maralal market revealed that the commodity’s price hiked from Sh3500 to Sh6800 per bag in just few months, making it hard for traders to sustain their businesses as usual.
Hoteliers have also been forced to hike food prices.
A plate of chips that was going for Sh50 is now being sold at Sh80, while the same has hiked to Sh150 from Sh100 in some eateries.
“Buying potatoes at Sh6800 per bag and we used to sell chips at Sh50 when the same commodity was selling at Sh3500 what do you expect?” pondered Joyce Kawira.
She added that she had to increase price of meals that are served with food prepared using potatoes to cater for the extra expenses.
However, business community have attributed an increase on the commodity’s price to an increased transportation cost following government’s decision to tax petroleum products at eight per cent
“The commodity’s price has increased due to high cost of living, everybody is talking about increased motor vehicle’s fuel prices, and going with the fact that here in Samburu we don’t grow any crop, we rely on food crops from other,” said Janeffer Wanja.
Speaking on Saturday Wanja added that acute shortage in supply of the commodity has been caused by low production in the source areas.
“Farmers explain there was a prolonged rainy season which is not favorable to Irish potatoes and there was a reduced yield leading to the shortage and increased prices,” she explained.
However, a number of traders dealing in buying and selling of the commodity have abandoned their businesses as they complain of losses.
“We are unable to sell Irish potatoes because they have become too expensive, we are buying a bag of the commodity at Sh6800 of which it is not easy to sell it in smaller quantities like Sh800 per bucket,” Mama Charity, a trader at Maralal market said.
Consumers said that they are now buying the commodity, which has become rare in the market, at unimaginable prices.
"I used to buy a kilo of potatoes at Sh30 recently, i was shocked to buy a two kilogram tin at Sh250 yesterday," said Christine Wangare.