According to the Central Bank of Kenya’s (CBK) November 2023 Agriculture Sector Survey the current favourable weather conditions are expected to boost agricultural production. However, the increased rainfall could also lead to panic sales by onion and tomato farmers who fear losses arising from spoilage of products that are sensitive to heavy rain.
This will mean that the prices of onions and tomatoes are expected to remain sticky, with respondents stating that the ongoing rains could lead to continued spoilage given their sensitivity to heavy rains.
Most Kenyan farmers adopt similar farming practices and timings which ends up disadvantaging them since harvest often takes place at the same time, leading to reduced prices.
Domestic prices of onions are also largely dictated by the production and pricing of onions from Tanzania; these tend to be relatively expensive due to their long shelf life and higher quality.
The price of most other vegetable items is however expected to reduce even further into the new year, supported by the increased supply of fast-maturing crops from the short rains season (October-December 2023).