By Jennifer Acheng
Kotido district has registered a slight increment of farm input prices especially in agro input shops as the farming season begins.
The imputes range from seeds of various types, farm equipment like hoes, pangas, spades, watering cans, gumboots, pesticides, fertilizers among others.
Tonny Mark Ochen, the director, Agromax farm supplies in Kotido town says the most affected inputs are farm grain seeds.
According to Ochen at the moment, maize seeds that used to be sold at 4,000per kilogram are now ranging between 5,000 to 10,000 a kilogram, beans is now sold at 6000 a kilogram from 5000, cow peas goes for 7000 from 5000, sunflowers for one acre piece of land is sold at 60,000 from 40,000.
He says vegetable seeds like Sukuma wiki, onions, tomatoes, spinach, cabbage, water watermelon among others range between 2,000 to 12,000 shillings. Other imputes include fertilizers currently sold at 164,000, gumboots at 12,000 shillings.
Ochen attributes this to the low production of grains that was realized by farmers last year, leading to high demand.
At Kotido main market, a jug of sorghum that used to be 2,000 a jug is now sold at 3,000, millet increased from 3000 a jug to 4000, maize is now sold at 4000 from 3000, beans is sold at 4000 akg and 8000 a jug respectively.
Other farm equipment whose prices have remained stable include hoes, at12,000 to 15,000,pangas at 10,000, spades at 15,000 to 20,000, and wheel barrows at 150,000 among others.
Godfrey Kalule, the CEO, Bladina memorial enterprises that deals in hardware supplies says prices of some inputs and equipment have remained stable due to the over reliance of local communities on donation leading to low demand from the market
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