The gradual reopening of the economy is bearing fruit with a noticeable fall in prices of agricultural products such as Irish potatoes in markets such as Nyabugongo.

Marie Chantal Bemeriki, who trades in Irish potatoes in Nyabugogo market, told Rwanda Today that with the bumper supply from Musanze and Nyabihu, the Kinigi variety has recently gone down to Rwf300 from Rwf400 in May.

“Prices easing on Irish potatoes is attributed to the fact that the farmers in northern parts of the country are in the harvesting season. We are getting supplies from Gicumbi and Musanze districts,” Bemeriki noted.

According to traders, a kilo of Irish potatoes has dropped to Rwf250 at the farm gate in Gicumbi district from Rwf350 last month, while in Musanze district, the price dropped from Rwf300 to Rwf250. In Kigali, a kilo of the produce goes for between Rwf340 and Rwf400.

A spot check at Nyabugogo main food market shows rice, sugar, green bananas, cassava flour, and vegetables are among the items whose prices have either remained unchanged or gone down over the past couple of months.

A kilogramme of popular Tanzanian rice, for example, goes for Rwf1, 000 from Rwf1, 100 while a kilogramme of onion goes for Rwf600 from between Rwf650 and Rwf700 in May.

Costs of some commodities have slightly increased. A kilogramme of Kiryumukwe beans goes for Rwf600 from Rwf570, while a kilogramme of Minimex flour goes for Rwf850 from Rwf700 last month.

Fish products are also up by more than 15 per cent a kilogramme after the coronavirus pandemic crippled fishing in Lake Kivu as two border districts of Karongi and Rubavu were put under lockdown. As a result, a kilogramme of silverfish goes for Rwf9, 000 from Rwf8, 000 in early March.

A kilogramme of meat now goes for Rwf3,000 from Rwf2,800 two weeks ago at most abattoirs in Kigali.

“Hotels and restaurants had not been operating for some time, and now they are taking a huge chunk of our products, that’s why prices have started moving up,” said Bertrand Murenzi, who runs a grocer shop.

“But they will not stay up because unlike under the lockdown when a few traders were operating, many people are opening food shops and that creates competition which is expected to stabilize prices,” he added.