Let’s face it.
Food is among the few necessities we just can’t stop talking about.
Young or old, rich or poor, the urge to stay in consonance with food trends and prices is perhaps undeniable.
As consumers of agricultural products, we passionately anticipate fall in their prices just as the producers speculate better yields.
However, whether our anticipations become a reality is greatly dependent on a number of factors; notable among them is security, weather, and economic situations.
These factors are usually the key suspects whenever any price fluctuation episode plays out. Since these factors are most times uncontrollable, the prices of different agricultural commodities are similarly adjusted to account for them.
If you are in need of average prices of food items across South Africa for this year, then read on as I enumerate the prevailing prices of major agricultural commodities in the country.
The prices here are calculated averages across different states in the country. They are market estimations obtainable from wholesalers and retailers of the commodities.
Prices of Agricultural Commodities in South Africa
Garri
- 80Kg Bag of Ijebu Garri – R$ 407
- 50kg Bag of White Garri – R$ 259 – R$ 278
- 50kg Bag of Yellow Garri– R$ 259 – R$ 278
Palm Oil
- 5 liters Gallon of Palm Oil –R$ 82-R$ 93
- 20 liters Gallon of Palm Oil – R$ 326-R$ 333
- 30 liters Gallon of Palm Oil – R$ 474-R$ 481
Local Vegetable Oil
- 5 liters Gallon of Vegetable Oil – R$ 86-R$ 93
- 20 liters Gallon of Vegetable Oil – R$ 333- R$ 352
- 30 liters Gallon of Vegetable Oil – R$ 500 –R$ 518
Yam
- 1 Big Size Tuber of Johannesburg Yam – R$ 700 – R$ 37
- 1 Medium Size Tuber of Johannesburg Yam – R$ 500
- 1 Big Size of Regular Yam – R$ 500 – R$ 900
- 1 Medium Size of Regular Yam – R$ 350 – R$ 500
Cassava
- 1 Ton of Unprocessed Cassava – R$ 1,036 – R$ 1,480
- 1 CABSTER of Unprocessed Cassava – R$ 3,700 – R$ 4,810
Potato
- Big Basket of Sweet Potato – R$ 500 – R$ 650
- Small Basket of Sweet Potato – R$ 300 – R$ 400
- Small Basket of Irish Potato – R$ 500 – R$ 700
- Medium Basket of Irish Potato – R$ 37 – R$ 49
- Big Basket of Irish Potato –R$ 71 – R$ 82
Beans
- A bag of Olotu/Drum Beans 50 kg – R$ 33, 000 – R$ 38, 000
- A bag of Olotu/Drum Beans 25 kg – R$ 15, 000 – R$ 17, 500
- A bag of Oloyin Beans 25 kg – R$ 15, 000- R$ 19, 000
- A bag of Oloyin Beans 50 kg – R$ 32, 000- R$ 39, 000
- A bag of Butter Beans 50 kg – R$ 31, 000- R$ 35, 000
- A bag of White Beans 50 kg – R$ 28, 000- R$ 34, 000
- A bag of Brown Beans 50 kg – R$ 30, 000- R$ 35, 000
Maize
- Bag of White Maize 100kg – R$ 16, 000 – R$ 18, 000
- Bag of Yellow Maize 100kg (Wholesale) – R$ 15, 000 – R$ 18, 000
Rice
- Mama’s Pride Rice 50kg – R$ 644 to R$ 685
- Rice Master 50kg – R$ 611 to R$ 648
- Rice Master 25kg – R$ 296 to R$ 315
- Rising Sun Rice 50kg – R$ 648 to R$ 685
- Special Rice 50kg – R$ 870
- Happy Family Rice 50kg – R$ 574
- Crystal Gold Rice (Ofada) 10kg – R$ 193 to R$ 222
- Crystal Gold Rice (Ofada) 5kg – R$ 93 to R$ 106
- Royal Stallion 50kg – R$ 574 to R$ 629
- Royal Stallion 25kg – R$ 296 to R$ 315
- Royal Stallion 10kg – R$ 130 to #4,200
- Royal Stallion 5kg – R$ 74 to R$ 82
- Caprice 50kg – R$ 629 to R$ 740
- Caprice 25kg – R$ 315 to R$ 352
Fish
- A Carton Titus Icefish – R$ 722
- A Carton of Kote Icefish – R$ 537
- A Carton of Croacker Icefish- R$ 888
Others
- A Basket of Tomatoes – R$ 1,295- – R$ 1,480
- A Bag of Bawa – R$ 259 – R$ 296
- A Bag of Pepper – R$ 333 – R$ 370
- A Bag of Long pepper – R$ 518 – R$ 555
- A Bag of White Onions – R$ 1,073 – – R$ 1,184
- A Bag of Red Onions – R$ 1,073 – R$ 1,110
- 1 Crate of Egg – R$ 850 – R$ 1200
- A Bundle of Ugu Leaf – R$ 3, 500 – R$ 4, 000
- A Dozen of Tied Ugu Leaf – R$ 67
- A Dozen of Moin-Moin Leaf – R$ 1000
Related
- Foodstuff Prices in South Africa Today (Complete List)
- Current Price of Bag of Rice in South Africa
- Basmati Rice Price in South Africa 2019
- Current Price of Palm Oil in South Africa Today
- Current Price of Bag of Beans in South Africa
- Current Prices of Coconut Oil in South Africa
Nature of Changes in Prices
Unfortunately, like most commodities in South Africa, the prices of dozens of agricultural commodities are generally on the rise. This is a little contrary to report released in the fourth quarter of last year by the National Bureau of statistics, which indicated negligible average improvement in the prices of agricultural commodities.
Market Trends
Unlike what was obtainable in the last quarter of 2017, the prices of most agricultural products are either stable or on the rise. However, the price of groundnut oil has experienced a slight decline in some states, alongside the price of a dozen other agricultural commodities.
According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, dozen states experienced sharp price changes between 2017 and 2018. Coupled with the present economic reality, the statistics paint a compelling view of the rate of fluctuations in agricultural commodity prices.
Nonetheless, agricultural livestock has significantly improved after selling at peak prices towards the end of last year and during the festive periods. Poultry products have specifically experienced most declines, though the price of eggs still hovers around the same price that was obtainable last year.
Cost of locally grown rice is currently settling but at high ground. In most states, a 50kg bag of rice still hovers around R$ 629, a slight reduction from peak prices obtained last year.
Apart from the 3 key factors influencing the prices of agricultural commodities, cost of production, tension in the supply-demand relationship, season, and circulation cost remain major contributors.
Notable Points
- Usually, for prices of imported commodities – cost, insurance, and freight are factored in. A large number of imported agricultural commodities pass through local South Africa manufacturers (as in the case with rice) before reaching wholesalers, though lots of wholesalers directly import their agricultural products
- Prices of export agricultural commodities are sometimes determined either by the Government or the market at the beginning of each crop season
- Actual retail prices may be significantly higher as against bulk prices for some agricultural product.
