Many Abuja residents have heaved a sigh of relief as prices of some staple food decreased in the city centre and satellite towns.

A market survey showed that while prices of some food items are coming down, others remain high. The survey was conducted at the Apo Fish Market, Dutse, Lugbe and Wuse, Nyanya markets, and Orange Market.

The residents attributed the price reduction to harvest season, which has increased food supply, and tax waiver on some food items granted by the federal government.

Tomatoes, Irish potatoes, peppers, sweet potatoes, and yams are being harvested, which has helped to boost supply and ease prices. 

Godwin Solomon, a tomato seller at Apo Fish Market, said a big basket of tomatoes sold as high as N230,000 in June was now sold at N40,000 to N55,000.

“A dustbin full of tomatoes priced between N16,000 to N20,000 has dropped to between N5,000 to N12,000, offering some relief to consumers. Also, a dustbin-full of pepper now sells for N6,000 to N9,000 depending on the day of the week while that of onions goes for N4,500 from N6000,” Mr Solomon said.

A yam seller at the Dutse market, David Adole, said consumers who could not buy yams for two months could now buy due to a price reduction.

“Old yam is rarely available now in the market; what we have now is the new yam and it is more affordable for the people. Five tubers of yam, which we used to sell at about N25,000 to N35,000, now go for between N12,000 and N18,000.

“A dustbin-full of sweet potatoes now goes for N3,000 from the former price of N5,000 while Irish potato dropped from around N25,000 to between N6,000 and N8,000,” he said.

Equally, the price of garri has decreased minimally in the market.

A mudu (the common unit of measure for foodstuff in the market) of white garri now goes for N1,100 while red garri goes for N1,300 compared to earlier prices of N1,400 and N1,600, respectively.

At the Nyanya market, Yetunde Adeleke, a garri seller, said a bag of white and red garri was sold at N66,000 and N70,000 in June but has reduced to N55,000 and N60,000, respectively.

Ahmed Aliyu, at the Lugbe market, said the price of grains (maize and guinea corn) has remained at N1500 per mudu while millet reduced to N1400 from N1600 it was sold for in June.

However, checks revealed that prices of food items like meat, rice, beans, and provisions remained unchanged or slightly increased in the market.

Shehu Danladi, a butcher at the Wuse market, said two months ago that a Kilo of beef was sold at N5000 but was now sold for between N5200 and N5,500.

Jane Agbende said a bag of white beans, sold at N200,000 in June, has increased to N250,000.

“One mudu of brown beans was sold at N1,800 and white beans N1,600 but is now N3,200 and 2,800, respectively. The price of beans has been unstable, but we hope that by October/November, the price will reduce because farmers will start harvesting their produce,” Ms Agbende said.

Mohammed Idris, who sells rice in bags at the Orange Market in Nasarawa, said the cost of rice had also been unstable for a while.

According to Mr Idris, the situation has affected the trade, as traders can no longer purchase large stock from farmers as before.

He said a 50kg bag of local rice sold for N64,000 in June is currently being sold between N80,000 to N84,000, while its 25kg bag sold for N35,000 is now N42,000.

“We sold a mudu of local rice for N1,800 in June, but it is now sold at N2,800. Honestly, customers are not buying our goods the way they used to do because of hardship. In spite of the reduced price of some food items, the level of patronage by consumers has remained low,” Mr Idris said.

Amina Shaibu, a foodstuff seller, also corroborated Idris that most people now preferred to buy only what they needed at the time due to the high cost of living.

“The sellers are really feeling the impact. We can barely make enough income to sustain our families these days. We pray that the prices of these items will continue to decrease because people are suffering a lot. Our customers are also no longer patronising us as they used to.

“We want the government to do the needful, ensure security, reduce cost of production, and stabilise food prices,” she said.

A teacher, Grace Udochi, said even with the minimal lower prices, Nigerians are still struggling and finding it almost impossible to feed or make ends meet.

“The demand for food remains constant, but the ability to purchase has become increasingly strained, thus the urgent need for solutions to mitigate the impact of inflation on everyday Nigerians,” Ms Udochi said.

Hogan Abraham, a civil servant, said the price reduction of some food items was a big relief for parents, especially during this holiday period.

“As you know, most students are on holiday, and most children have formed the habit of eating unrestrained while on holiday. I went to the market on Thursday to restock my house after a long time, and you cannot imagine my excitement when I realised that prices of some food items have reduced,” Mr Abraham said.

Mohammed Abdullahi, a farmer in Karshi, said some traders were insincere, as they always tried to make excess profits off their customers.

According to him, traders are using this high cost of prices in the market as an opportunity to make too much profit, which is not fair.

Meanwhile, an economist, John Bello, advised the government to promote domestic production of essential goods.

According to Mr Bello, local production will help reduce reliance on imports, mitigate the impact of currency devaluation, and improve Nigerians’ standard of living.

The National Bureau of Statistics, in its Consumer Price Index (CPI) and Inflation report for April, showed that food inflation increased by 40.53 per cent yearly.

The NBS said the April figure indicated a 15.92 per cent increase compared to the rate recorded in April 2023 at 24.61 per cent.

In its July CPI report, however, the data bureau showed that Nigeria’s headline inflation rate declined to 33.40 per cent.

However, on a year-on-year basis, the headline inflation rate in July was 9.32 per cent higher than the rate recorded in July 2023 at 24.08 per cent.

The increase in the headline index for July on a year-on-year basis and month-on-month basis was attributed to the rise in prices of some goods and services at the divisional level. 

(NAN)