Bakers and food vendors lament over high sugar prices

Nyeri, Wednesday, May 24, 2023

KNA by Yvette Kimani/ Mercy Ndegwa

Bakers and food vendors in Nyeri town have lamented over the soaring prices of sugar and the financial threat it poses to their business.

A spot check by KNA in leading supermarkets in Nyeri revealed that the cheapest brand of sugar is currently retailing at Sh210 per kilogramme while the two kilogram packet is selling at between Sh 420 and Sh 440 depending on the brand.

The recent price increase has been attributed to a shortage local sugarcane which has forced local millers to import sugarcane from Uganda.

Speaking to KNA, food vendors have warned that the trajectory is not good for their businesses as many of them are now running out of ideas to keep their businesses afloat.

Ann Wachira, a baker in Nyeri town says that the soaring sugar prices will soon edge her out of business. She says that the cost of other ingredients such as flour, eggs and butter is already high so pilling an extra cost on sugar would be similar to crippling small businesses like hers.   

“The high price of sugar has left us stranded. I am not certain if people will buy the cakes should I decide to increase the price to meet the cost of the ingredients. Also, cakes are not a basic need so I am afraid that drastic price changes will chase customers away,” she explained.

Mary Wambui, a food vendor in Nyeri town, told KNA that she is already feeling the effects of the high cost of sugar. Wambui who hawks tea says that she has already lost a number of customers after increasing the cost of a cup of tea by Sh10.

“The high sugar prices are already affecting us in a large way. I used to sell one cup of tea for Sh 20 but now I sell one cup of tea for Sh 30. As we speak, I have lost customers since I changed the prices a few days ago. As food vendors we are in shock since we do not know whether we should shut down our business or what the next course of action,” said Wambui.

“I earn a living from this business and I would urge the national government to lower the sugar prices so that we can run our business as earlier where the sugar prices were low hence more customers,” she added.

Happiness Weila proprietor of Happy Bakers said that they have now limited their production to orders to avoid incurring losses. Three weeks ago, Weila says, her shop always had ready cakes on display to attract customers but she is now rethinking this strategy to avoid incurring unnecessary expenses.

“Taste and preference in baking cakes matters a lot and it is what attracts our customers. Without a variety, it is hard to maintain our customers. Most of our walk-in customers do not understand that these flavours and decorations in cakes depend on sugar and that we tend sometimes to reduce these flavours and decorations because we incur some losses since the rate of selling cakes is low,” she explained.

Courtesy ; K. N. A