East Africa Price Bulletin, February 2023

The Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) monitors trends in staple food prices in countries vulnerable to food insecurity. For each FEWS NETcountry and region, the Price Bulletin provides a set of charts showing monthly prices in the current marketing year in selected urban centers and allowing users tocompare current trends with both five-year average prices, indicative of seasonal trends, and prices in the previous year.

Staple Food Markets in East Africa: White maize is the mainstaple grain consumed in Tanzania, Kenya, and Ethiopia. InUganda, white maize is grown mainly as a commercial cropfor export in the region. Imported rice is a major staple forSomalia, which mainly consume belem—the imported redrice. Tanzania is also a major producer and source of rice inthe region while Kenya and Uganda are minor producers.Both red and white sorghum are produced and consumed inthe region. This is an important staple in Sudan and Somaliaas well as in other marginal agricultural areas of the region. Itis also a substitute cereal among the rural poor. Redsorghum is mainly grown in Ethiopia, Sudan, and Somalia.Beans are an important source of protein and acomplementary food crop grown in the high potentialagricultural areas of Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda,Burundi and Ethiopia. It is consumed across household types.Maize and beans are the most heavily traded commodities inthe region. The cooking banana–matoke is the primary staplein Uganda. Uganda is also a main source of cooking andother types of bananas traded in the region especially inSouthern Sudan. However, bananas are not traded nearly asheavily as maize or beans

Source: Famine Early Warning System Network