Some farmers and traders of various food items have attributed the downward slope in the prices of food to the current harvest season for early crops.Some of them, who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Sunday, said the reduction was also a result of the sufficient rainfall which had enabled bumper harvests.
Chidike Ukoh, the National Secretary, National Fish Association of Nigeria (NFAN), said that although the prices of some food items were coming down, the purchasing power of most people was still low.
Mrs Lizzy Igbine, the National President, Nigeria Women Agro Allied Farmers Association, said the drop in prices of food was due to farmers’ harvest season.
”Now, we are harvesting our crops and the prices will naturally come down.
”We have new potatoes, onions, yams, in the market now and their prices have come down,” she said.
Igbine appealed to the Federal Government to ensure the prompt release of farm inputs to farmers for improved production.
Mr Babangida Yakubu, a yam seller at the Nyanya market said that although the prices of some food items had reduced, the patronage was still low.
Yakubu appealed to governments at all levels to pay the new minimum wage so that many of his customers, especially civil servants
would be able to patronise him.
”My customers usually shout ‘no money’ when I call them to come and buy.
”Government and private sector should increase salaries so that people will be able to buy what they need,” he said.
Mrs Nkechi Aboh, a customer, commended both the efforts of the government and farmers whose efforts contributed to the reduction in prices of food.
Aboh said that although the prices of some food items were still high, they were more affordable now when compared to a month ago.
Aboh said that a small basket of tomatoes which was sold between ₦15,000 and ₦18,000 now goes for between ₦2,500 and N3,500.
”I am particularly happy about the crash in the prices of tomatoes because my family spent a lot during the season of scarcity because we do not consume tin tomatoes.
”Now, we can comfortably buy as we want,” she said.
Aboh suggested the use of an adequate storage system to preserve some perishable items like tomatoes during the harvest season to prepare for their scarcity.
”I heard that people are using dehydrators to dry tomatoes to be in powdered form.
”This is going to be the breakthrough. I pray that the government would support this initiative to enable us to have plenty even after the harvest season,” she said.
Meanwhile, NAN checks in some markets in the FCT and environs revealed that prices of food items like yams, pepper, and potatoes had reduced.
Prices of items like garri, rice, onions, maize, millet and beans were still high.
Five tubers of yam which were sold between ₦25,000 and ₦28,000 now go for between N15,000, also, a small basket of pepper initially sold between ₦15,000 and ₦10,000 now goes for between ₦6,000 and ₦5,500.
Meanwhile, prices of items like onions, garri, and millet remained high.
A small basket of onions which was sold for ₦3,000 now goes for between ₦4500 and ₦4000.
