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White Radish: A nutritious vegetable that can be eaten raw or cooked
White radish is in season now, so prices are expected to lower as it is on the market. Photo by Abubaker Lubowa
What you need to know:
Both the leaves and roots of the vegetable are a source of food. Though it is grown locally, it is mostly popular with Asians and Europeans.
White radish is similar in shape to a carrot but differs in colour; it is white. It is also one of the vegetables in the market that is purchased for both the leaves and the root.
Ms Ritah Nankya, at Nakawa Market says, the leaves and the root are eaten though a number of people do not pay attention to the leaves. The leaves are good if boiled and not fried while the root can be eaten raw or cooked especially with meats. “But radish is a bit bitter when eaten raw. I guess it is the reason why it is looked at as medicine,” she observes.
The vegetable is popular among Asians and Europeans, and Ugandans have not yet taken to it. Yet, this is not good for business from the perspective of the traders because it is mostly Ugandans who go to the market. Thus, the market for radish is not good.
Nankya says, “Most Ugandans only come to buy the vegetable when it has been recommended by a doctor or when they read in newspapers or hear on radio that it is good for their health. They say that it helps in cleansing the body and it’s a good source of ‘blood’.” Another trader at Nakasero Market, Julius Ssenyondo, adds that because most people do not still see the value of the vegetable, there is less market for it. When it has stayed for long on the shelves, the traders often have to dispose of the radish.
“Like many crops, white radish can’t stay for more than three days without withering. And when it withers, no one wants to buy it. So, we throw it away,” says Ssenyondo as he points at some white radishes on his stall that have turned brown. He adds, it is difficult to convince a customer to take a discoloured vegetable.
The vegetable that is of Asian origin was first imported from Kenya to Uganda. Ssenyondo says it is now being grown in Uganda in Luwero, Wakiso and some parts of the western and eastern regions of the country.
White radish is in season from April to June and from October to January. Nankya says now that it is in season, the prices will go down from Shs5,000 a kilogramme to Shs3,000.
However, she says the prices are not static for they can change any time depending on how bad or good the season is. The highest they have sold a kilogramme was Shs8,000 and the lowest can be Shs1,500.
The retail price will always depend on how much the traders bought the vegetable from the farm or suppliers. But Ssenyondo says, they usually sell the vegetable at Shs1,000 more than the price at which it was bought.
To stay relatively fresh for a longer time, the traders advise that the vegetable should be kept away from direct sunlight.
