The price of dry maize has gone up Sh6, 400 per 90-kg bag up from Sh6, 000 two weeks ago at Awasi market in Nyando Sub-County.
Residents are now buying a two-kilogram measuring tin, popularly used at the market at Sh160 up from Sh150.
One of the traders Michael Ochieng told KNA that they were sourcing the maize from markets in the neighbouring counties, hence the hike in the price of maize due to high transportation costs.
However, he said that despite the high cost, the demand for maize was still high in the markets as it is consumed in high quantities in most of the households in the area.
A similar two-kilogram tin quantity of beans fetches between Sh280 to Sh320 depending on the variety, while the same quantity of groundnuts is retailing for Sh500 to Sh550 as per the variety. The price of green grams is between Sh250 and Sh300 per 2-kgs.
Fresh indigenous vegetables are however in plenty at the market. One of the traders Milca Odero said they were buying the same from farmers who grow them in the wet lands bordering river Nyando and Ahero irrigation scheme.
At Ahero, traders are selling 2kgs of rice at between Sh300 and Sh320, as the farmers were now busy harvesting the crop.
Rice farmers however raised concern at the high number of birds that had invaded the farms, thus reducing their yields.
