Prices of Irish potatoes fall by 14pc over more supplies

What you need to know:

  • Weekly reports released by the Ministry have indicated that that wholesale price for 100 kilo bag of Irish potatoes fell to an average of Sh66,625 and Sh73,375 on April 24, 2019 this week compared with Sh76,350 and Sh85,575 on January 25,2017.

Dar es Salaam. Prices of Irish potatoes fell by average 14.2 per cent in the past three months in various regions of Tanzania, a new report shows.

Weekly reports by the Ministry of Industry and Trade indicate that the wholesale price for a 100-kilo bag of Irish potatoes ranged between Sh66,625 and Sh73,375 on April 24, down from between Sh76,350 and Sh85,575 on January 25.

Wholesalers attribute the price reduction to increased supply during the harvest season.

The lowest price of Sh35,000 was recorded in Njombe Region.

Mtwara had the highest price of Sh120,000 for a 100-kilo bag, followed by Lindi at Sh110,000.

In Mbeya the price was Sh50,000.

Kariakoo Market Corporation statistics indicated that a 60-kilo bag of Irish potatoes was sold at between Sh50,000 and Sh60,000 on April 24 in Dar es Salaam.

The Bank of Tanzania’s economic review for March indicates that prices of Irish potatoes decreased to Sh75,329.1 in February, compared with Sh80,484.7 the previous month.

Irish potatoes are mainly grown in Mbeya, Iringa, Njombe, Tanga and Kilimanjaro. Some are imported from Kenya. Irish potatoes are mainly used to produce chips for sale. They are served hot, either soft or crispy, and are generally eaten as part of lunch or dinner or by themselves as a snack, and they commonly appear on the menus of diners, fast food restaurants, pubs, and bars. They are usually salted and, depending on the country, may be served with ketchup, vinegar, mayonnaise, tomato sauce, or other local specialties.