NAIJ weekly price check: Traders groan as prices of food increase (photos, new rates)
– Prices of foodstuffs continue to rise daily in various markets across the state
– According to a market survey conducted by NAIJ.com at Oyingbo market, on Saturday, September 24, the prevailing cost of foodstuffs is alarming
– Traders have also lamented the low patronage by customers
– NAIJ.com lists prices of commodities such as fish, rice, beans, yam, tomatoes in this report
The prices of foodstuffs have continued to rise daily in various markets across the country as Nigerians continue to fight the ongoing recession in the country.
The costs of transportation, processing and market changes have been identified as the forces influencing the increasing price of food stuffs in the market.
A survey conducted by NAIJ.com on Saturday on September 24, at the Oyingbo market in Lagos revealed that the price increase affected commodities like rice, beans, yam, garri, onions, fish, meat, groundnut oil, vegetables, egusi, ogbono, tomatoes and pepper.
Oyingbo Ultra Modern Market, Lagos. Photo: Michael Obasa
Some traders who spoke with our correspondent have linked the hike in price of goods to fuel shortage, insecurity, importation ban, terrorist attack and power shortage, which have rocked the country since the previous administration, while others were hostile in their response.
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Mama Chinwe, a pumpkin seller inside the half-filled market attributed the high cost of vegetable leaves to the season and cost of carriage.
She said: “A bundle of pumpkin (Ugu) used to be sold for between N2,000 and N2,500, but now it is being sold from N4,000 upward. So also is the price of other vegetables like scent leaf (efinrin), waterleaf and others. Here at Oyingbo market, patronage is encouraging. We do not sell N50-worth of leaf but from N100 and above. This sometimes depends on the seller and the market forces.
“The season determines the price of vegetable. And now, there is no fixed price, because it fluctuates. Today it may be costly, tomorrow it may be cheap. As we approach the dry season, the price of vegetable will be expensive. And the cost of carriage plus market price will influence the new rates.”
A vegetable seller displays her goods for sale at the Oyingbo market, Lagos. Photo: Michael Obasa
On the other hand, the price of groundnut-oil has increased a bit as observed in the market.
During the survey, a groundnut-oil dealer, identified as Mama Risi, blamed the rise in price of the product to rise in the dollar exchange rate.
According to her: “The price of groundnut oil has increased due to the continuous rise in dollar and poor economic situation. 25 litres of palm oil which was sold for N 14,500 before, is now sold for N13,500, while 25 litres of palm oil that was sold from N10,000-N11,000, now costs N13,000. This price is determined by the brand, the seller and the location of the market.”
A groundnut-oil seller at Oyingbo market, Lagos. Photo: Michael Obasa.
A meat seller identified as Baba Sanmi, said sales have been very low and the price of cow increases daily. He attributed the hike in price of meat to the violence by the Islamist sect, Boko Haram.
“Meat is very expensive now. We bought cow as low as N70,000 before, but now. it is a different thing entirely. The cow that used to cost N70,000 now costs N150,000. The cow that was sold at N150,000 now costs N250,000 and above. Things have turned from bad to worse. The patronage is not encouraging at all, it is very low. The government should do something,” he lamented.
While blaming the poor economic situation and transportation for the mishap that has befallen sales of her products, a yam seller who pleaded anonymity, told our correspondent that, “I go to Kwara state to buy the yams. I spend five days at a stretch. So the cost of transportation and the economic situation of the country influence the price of yams. We have Abuja yam, Efuru yam and Onitsha yam. The most expensive of them is the Onitsha yam.
“The farmers are not encouraging matters at all. They are not making it easier for us the sellers again. Five tubers of Onitsha yam costs N4,000 while five tubers of efuru yam now is N2,000 but before it costs N1,200. Patronage is encouraging.”
At the onion segment of the market, a trader identified as Salisu, expressed a different view on the reason for the rise in the price of the product.
According to him, the price is determined by the size of the bag, the location of the market and cost of carriage.
Onion sellers sitting helpless at Oyingbo market, Lagos. Photo: Michael Obasa
He said: “A big bag of onion costs N35,000 as at yesterday. The small bag is sold from N24,000 and above. But this is because we buy the onions from Zaria. The distance and cost of transportation makes it expensive.”
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A fish seller who spoke to our correspondent also, attributed the rise in the price of fish to the payment of tax and the restriction placed on some imported food items by the government, described the hike in food prices as frustrating.
“A carton of Titus fish 30kg before costs N10,100 but now it costs N25,000, while a carton of Alaska fish before was sold from N 8,500 but now N17,400. You can see the gap between the prices. Nothing has changed before and now.
“We record low sales now. The money recovered should be channelled to importation of some items. So our business can flourish. Nothing has changed before and now. The rise in the price of goods is frustrating,” she groaned.
Ndubuisi, a trader who sells food stuffs like rice, beans, egusi, crayfish, ogbono and garri at the market attributed the hike to the current economic situation.
A rice seller busy with his goods at Oyingbo market, Lagos. Photo: Michael Obasa
He said: “The country is facing a tough time now. The economy is bad. A bag of egusi costs N50,000, that’s the rate we were buying before. Ogbono is very expensive now. Three months ago, we bought a bag of ogbono at the rate of N115,000, now it is sold for N85,000.
“Crayfish is not that expensive but patronage is low, because since they constructed the model market, traders there have been complaining bitterly about low sales. A bundle of crayfish now costs N18,000 but before it was sold for N16,000 while a plastic costs N1,300.
“A bag of rice here costs N18,000 and above. Beans is very expensive now. A bag of beans cost N35,000 but now it stands at N42,000 or even more. This is due to cost transportation, the distance of purchase and as well the market force. Garri is not expensive but the price is determined by the type, the location and the seller. A bag of garri was sold from N5,500 before, but now, it costs N13,000 and above.”
A plantain seller at the popular Lagos market, (Oyingo Market). Photo: Michael Obasa
The prices of perishable items like tomatoes, pepper remained quite reasonable as observed. Traders attributed this to the availability of the product.
From our findings, it was revealed that a small basket of tomatoes can be purchased from about N1,500 and N2,500 to about N4,000. Same goes for pepper. While the big basket can be purchased from N6,000 upwards.
Price of foodstuff at a glance:
Pumpkin (Ugu)– N4,000
25 litre of groundnut oil – N13,500
25 litre of palm-oil – N13,000
Five tubers of yam:
Efuru yam – N2,000
Onitsha yam – N4,000
A bag of Egusi – N50,000
A bag of Ogbono – N85,000
A bundle of crayfish – N 18,000
A plastic(paint) of crayfish – N 1,300
A bag of rice – N18,000
A bag of beans – N42,000
A bag of garri – N13,000
10kg of semolina – N2,500
5kg of wheat – N1,500
A bag of onion – N35,000
A carton of Titus fish(30kg) – N25,000
A carton of Alaska fish – N17,400
Tomatoes:
Small basket (tomatoes) – N4,000
Big basket (tomatoes) – N8,000
A basket of pepper – N7,000
A carton of spaghetti – N3,200
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