Reporting Period: August 2026
1.Summary
August 2026 was characterised by the tail end of the first-season harvest, which continued to soften staple food prices across most markets, alongside notable exceptions and cross-cutting pressures from fuel and fertiliser costs. Key drivers of change during the month included:
- Staple prices (maize, millet, sorghum, matooke, Irish potatoes, tomatoes) continued their harvest-driven decline from July, typically bottoming out as the first season drew to a close — except in Arua, where prices rose sharply as old stock persisted ahead of the new harvest reaching the market.
- Maize prices firmed in Kampala (to UGX 1,000–1,250/kg) and at the Busia border post (to UGX 1,100/kg), even as cross-border demand from Kenya remained subdued due to competing harvest supply from Kitale and Tanzania.
- Cross-border trade in beans and cattle remained active, with large volumes of beans moving through the Busia border post and roughly 800 head of cattle transiting to Tanzania via the Mpondwe border post.
- Beans broke from the general softening trend, with wholesale prices rising to UGX 3,200–4,000/kg in Kampala as supply tightened, consistent with UBOS’s reported slowdown in the annual rate of price decline.
- Karamoja’s food security situation showed signs of stabilising, supported by, relief assistance in Nabilituk, and relatively stable staple prices in the region.
- Fuel prices remained a significant upward pressure on the cost of living, with logistics increasingly rerouted via Tanzania amid corridor constraints through Kenya; national fuel-related (EFU) inflation stood at 14.9%.
- Fertiliser prices moved in mixed directions: Urea remained scarce and highly priced, while DAP and NPK 17-17-17 were more readily available at reduced prices.
- On the policy front, Parliament began review of the Food and Agriculture Regulatory Authority Bill, 2026, the government launched a new climate resilience programme for food systems, and the Ministries of Agriculture and Energy initiated efforts to expand clean energy access in rural farming areas.
2.Drivers of Change
2.1 Staple Prices Soften as the Harvest Season Draws to a Close
The harvest-driven softening of staple prices — affecting maize, millet, sorghum, matooke, Irish potatoes, and tomatoes — continued from July into August, typically bottoming out as the first season approached its tail end, particularly for maize grain. Wholesale prices rose in most major markets during the month, with the notable exception of Arua, where prices remained elevated as newly harvested grain had yet to reach the market and old stock continued to trade at UGX 1,400–1,500/kg.
In other production areas, July’s post-harvest supply surge gave way to a tail-end phase in August, as remaining stock concentrated in the hands of rural aggregators and transit traders — typically marking the season’s lowest price point ahead of a renewed climb. Maize prices held at an increment in Lira (UGX 1,100/kg), and in Gulu, Rakai, and Kyotera (UGX 1,000/kg).
In Kampala, the maize grain price rose sharply from July’s UGX 950/kg to UGX 1,000–1,250/kg in August. At the Busia border post, prices increased slightly to UGX 1,100/kg (KES 37), reflecting continued availability of cheaper supply in Kenyan markets. Cross-border demand from Kenya for Ugandan maize remained subdued, as competing harvest supply from Kenya’s Kitale region and from Tanzania continued to dampen formal border trade volumes.
2.2 Cross-Border Trade in Beans and Cattle
Cross-border activity in beans and cattle remained brisk during the month. A number of trucks loaded with cattle departed for Tanzania via the Mpondwe border post, with an estimated 800 head destined for livestock markets in northern Tanzania. Cooking plantain (gonja) and palm oil seed were received as imports from the Democratic Republic of Congo, while, conversely, goods in demand on the other side of the border included rice, maize flour, and a range of bean varieties — yellow, Nambale, black, and white.
A substantial volume of beans was received at the Busia border post from Ethiopia. Transit traders from Soroti purchased large quantities for delivery to the Karamoja region, while traders from Kampala and other markets to the east, in Kenya, also sourced supply. Prices recorded at the border included: Short Nambale beans at UGX 3,654/kg (KES 126), Yellow beans at UGX 3,596/kg (KES 124), Long Nambale beans at UGX 3,190/kg (KES 110), dry cassava chips at UGX 1,200/kg, and sorghum at UGX 1,363/kg (KES 47). Other commodities in demand at the border for the Kenyan market included millet, simsim, green grams, and groundnuts.
2.3 Beans Buck the General Softening Trend
Unlike most staples, bean prices moved against the general softening trend in August. Kampala’s main staple markets received a wide assortment of beans at notably higher prices: Yellow beans traded at UGX 3,900–4,000/kg, Short Nambale at UGX 3,600–3,800/kg, and Rosecoco and Long Nambale — the most commonly consumed varieties — at UGX 3,200–3,400/kg wholesale. This tightening of supply, as stock concentrated with traders, is consistent with UBOS’s reported slowdown in the annual rate of price decline for the quarter. Wholesale bean prices in August rose to UGX 3,200–4,000/kg, up from UGX 2,700–3,500/kg in July, which had itself risen from UGX 2,200–2,600/kg in June.
2.4 Karamoja’s Food Security Outlook Stabilises
Commodity prices in Karamoja fluctuated during August, notably in Nabilituk district, where food items continued to be supplied from outside the region, primarily via the Mbale–Soroti trade route. Local NGOs supported vulnerable households through emergency food relief and cash assistance.
In Nakapiripirit district, despite a failed crop, major staple grains remained relatively stable and affordable. Sorghum was recorded at UGX 1,200/kg wholesale (100kg bags), while maize grain traded higher, at UGX 1,500/kg (100kg bags). Stable and consistent rainfall during the month enabled farmers to prepare land for replanting staple crops, while others shifted toward green vegetable production, given its shorter growing cycle. Overall, the agricultural outlook for both crops and livestock improved during the month following the onset of the rains.
2.5 Fuel Price Effects on the Cost of Living
Food crop inflation saw minor relief early in the month due to stable harvest-driven trading patterns, though this reversed at mid-month as supply declined and pressure shifted toward transport and food costs. Pump prices fluctuated relative to July, compounded by logistical constraints along the Kenya corridor that pushed a greater share of fuel imports through the alternative Tanzanian route, raising overland freight costs passed on to consumers. Petrol was recorded at UGX 6,550 per litre and diesel at UGX 6,595 per litre. Fuel costs remain a significant upward pressure on the national cost of living, consistent with UBOS’s reported EFU (fuel-related) inflation rate of 14.9%.
2.6 Fertiliser Price Fluctuations
Wholesale solid fertiliser prices showed mixed trends in August. Urea remained in very short supply, keeping prices elevated, while DAP and NPK 17-17-17 were more widely available at reduced prices, as shown below.
| Fertiliser | July 2026 Price (per 50kg bag) | Trend |
| DAP | UGX 180,000 | ▼ Decrease |
| Urea | UGX 250,000 | ▲ Increase |
| NPK 17-17-17 | UGX 140,000 | ▼ Decrease |
3. Policy and Regulatory Developments
3.1 Food and Agriculture Regulatory Authority Bill, 2026
The Food and Agriculture Regulatory Authority Bill, 2026 was tabled by the Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industries and Fisheries, Hon. Frank Tumwebaze, for its first reading in Parliament. Parliament referred the Bill to the Committee on Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries for detailed review.
3.2 Climate Resilience and Food Systems Programme Launched
On 6 August 2026, the government launched a new three-year initiative, the “Accelerating Food Systems Transformation for Resilience to Climate Change” programme. The project focuses on improving land use, livestock insurance, and climate data systems to protect farmers from weather-related shocks.
3.3 Realigning Agricultural and Energy Policy
In late August 2026, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Energy began coordinating policy changes to extend clean and renewable energy access to rural farming areas. The initiative aims to address power shortages that have constrained local irrigation, crop storage, and food processing.
Compiled by: Luwandagga David K