FISH consumers in Dar es Salaam have to search deeper into their pockets in order to buy a high protein source type of fish specie commonly known as ‘Nile Perch’ or Sangara in Swahili language which is being found in Lake Victoria, the survey can reveal. A week long survey carried out in various parts of the city markets reveals that, the price of a kilogram of Sangara fish from Lake Victoria has increased from Sh. 3,500 to Sh. 4,500 for the last two months. This is an increase of 25 percent. The expensiveness of the product has rendered consumers’ purchasing power, and in view of this, it’s common to see fried sangara fish in these markets especially during evening hours being displayed in heaps according to their sizes and sold at a different price rate in order to make them more affordable to potential buyers. A spot check by this writer in some markets in the city such as Buguruni, Gongo La Mboto, Temeke, Tandika, Ilala and Mwananyamala reveals that, a retail price of the single piece of the fried Sangara fish is sold at between Sh. 1,000 and Sh. 2,000 respectively. Some interviewed traders in these markets say that they prefer to sell their fried fish products into pieces in order to make them easily affordable to would be buyers who most of them have low purchasing power. Alexander Susuma, a fish trader at Gongo la Mboto market attributes such an increase as due to insufficient supply of the commodity from the main source of their supply notably from Mwanza city and other towns like Musoma and Bukoba respectively.
A heap of Sangara fish type on display at Mwanza main market
Juliana Chogola a fish trader based at Ubungo in the city attributes the high price as due to high cost of transport which she noted has been exacerbated by frequent rise of the price of petroleum products in the country. Despite the increase in price, statistics on the deliveries of frozen Nile perch from Lake Zone at Kariakoo main market in Dar es Salaam shows a constant supply of the commodity that range between 50 and 60 boxes for the last two months. Statistics by the market shows that, each box weighing 40 kg of the frozen Nile perch has been sold at a whole price of Sh. 192,000 to hawkers in the city who in turn distributes their products to agents stationed in various markets in the city. Cornered by this writer for comment, the market statician, Nicholus Omolo said in an exclusive interview on Thursday this week that, frozen Nile perch are more sold than the cured Nile perch as most consumers of the fish product prefers frozen ones as they are later made fried and sold in pieces. However, he said adding that the Tilapia type of fish is more expensive than Sangara and is not easily affordable to ordinary people. Three weeks ago, Tanzania’s Minister for Fisheries and Livestock Dr. David Mathayo held a meeting with fish stakeholders in Mwanza city to discuss together with other things, the go slow strike which had been formed by traders in the region who stick to their guns when they demanded an increase of the price of a kilogram of the Sangara fish in local market. In their meeting, traders insisted that, the former price of Sh. 3,000 was low that could not make a good profit margin compared to the total cost of operations incurred including costs of transportation to respective selling agents and fish industries in the country. Failure to reach a consensus between the two parties has allowed an illegal trade of the product across the border to the neighboring country of Kenya. Instead, the fluctuating prices have forced local traders to increase the price due to the gradual scarcity of the product. Before his meeting with fish stakeholders in Mwanza, the minister had told the National Assembly that over 95 percent of the fish from Lake Victoria were being processed and sold outside the country.
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