By Ronald Tumusiime
Following the sudden increase of commodities country wide, parents in Fort Portal are crying foul over the double hiked prices of scholastic materials.
According to Fort Portal city vendors, continued hiking of school materials is due to increased demand over available production. They explain, that this is so, because production has been inactive because of covid-19 affecting the available out put.
Current prices
Our reporter after visiting a number of shops and stationeries in the city, has established that a packet of Bic pens is at 30,000 Shs, a ream at 20,000 and a book ranges from 2,500 to 4,000 depending on the type.
When contacted, one of the stationery owners who preferred anonymity, explained that the rise of fuel affected transportation of all commodities including school materials.
Other vendors have attributed the increment to their counterparts in Kampala, saying the whole sale price has greatly increased which leaves them with no option, but increase prices to remain with some profits.
Notably, a single pen which used to be sold at 500 Shs is now at 1000 Shs, which has left many parents with a conclusion of education no longer being a basic need for all, but for the wealthy.
The assumption comes at a time when the shoot up in prices is not only in scholastic materials, but every thing in the country also described as an economic crisis.
