| Vegetables are expensive. |
Vegetable prices are rising. This increase can be explained by several reasons, the increase in the price of fertilizers being one of them.
Checking out at vegetable sellers makes consumers dizzy. The prices of certain products have increased significantly: 7,000 to 8,000 ariary per kilo of large onions, 2,000 to 3,000 ariary per kilo of potatoes, 2,000 to 2,500 ariary per kilo of carrots, and 1,800 ariary per kilo of price of a measure of Bambara peas. “The prices of certain vegetables, notably carrots, which were sold at 6,000 ariary per kilo in February-March, are falling at the moment. The price of other products, such as onions, is stable but high. However, those potatoes and cabbages have grown,” says Malala, a vegetable seller in Mahazo, yesterday.
Some households have chosen to do without some of these products. “Onions are no longer essential in our dishes. French fries for breakfast are increasingly rare. These vegetables are out of reach,” says Denise, a mother.
Producers say vegetable prices have never been higher. “It is normal that prices are exorbitant at retailers. We sell good quality carrots to wholesalers at 2,500 ariary per kilo, compared to 1,500 ariary previously. A kilo of potatoes has gone from 500 to 1,200 ariary” , indicates Lalaina Ranivoarisoa, market gardener in Ambohibary Sambaina, in the Vakinankaratra region. “Large onions are sold at 5,500 ariary in Ambodivona, compared to 1,000 to 2,000 ariary during the harvest period,” says Andry, onion producer and collector in Antanetibe Anativolo, in the Anjozorobe district.
Control
This increase in vegetable prices has been observed since February. Market gardeners explain this phenomenon in several ways. “It is no longer the season for these vegetables. Our production is exhausted, and farmers are starting a new growing season. The next carrot harvests are expected in September and those of potatoes in December. to have products before these periods, you have to do a lot of treatments on the plants, and the price of fertilizers and pesticides is very high. This explains this increase in prices,” explains Lalaina Ranivoarisoa. She adds that carrot and potato production was down this year due to floods which ravaged several hectares of fields in their region. Onion producers in Antanetibe Anativolo also claim that it is no longer the onion season at the moment, and that we must wait until the months of November-December to see the price of this product drop. Others have no plausible reasons. “We base our prices according to the evolution of prices on the market,” says a carrot producer.
The Ministry of Industrialization and Trade is strengthening price controls on essential products, including vegetables. “Our objective is to raise awareness among producers, collectors and retailers to avoid any possibility of abuse and speculation,” says Dina Rakotonirina, Director of Consumer Protection.
Miangalya Ralitera
