Sallah: prices of food items soar in Enugu

Two days to Eid-el-Kabir celebration, the prices of basic food items have soared in most markets in Enugu metropolis.

A market survey conducted by our reporter on Tuesday showed that the prices of some foodstuffs have increased.

At Ogbete Main Market, a 50kg bag of local de-stoned rice now goes for between N18,500 and N22, 000 depending on their species.

The non-de-stoned rice of 50kg goes for between N16,500 and N17,500 as against N16,000 and N16, 500 respectively, while its 25kg stands at N8,500 as against N7,000.

A 4.5 litres paint bucket of de-stoned goes for N2,000 as against N1, 900, while the non- de-stoned local rice remained at N1,800 per bucket.

In most major markets, the survey revealed that the price of foreign rice has marginally increased.

A 50kg of foreign rice now sold for between N27,000 and N30,000, while its 25kg goes for N13, 000.

A rice dealer at New market, Mr Austin Ojoh, said that the increase in price of foreign rice was due its scarcity as a result of the ban placed on importation of foreign rice.

The survey also revealed the price of onions went up as a bag of onions was now sold for N24, 000 to N28,000, as against its former price of between N16, 000 and N18, 500.

Mr Adams Suleiman, a trader in onions at the new market, popularly called the New Garki Market, attributed the increase in onions prices to its off season.

“The scarcity of onion is not only experienced in Enugu State but also where the commodity is largely produced in the North,’’ he said.

A big basket of Nsukka tomatoes, which flooded the markets some weeks back now cost N14,000 as against N8,000.

Mrs Nneoma Okeke, a tomato dealer at New Akwata Market in Garki said that the UTC tomatoes and the ones from Jos were off season, adding that there was no difference between Jos tomatoes and Nsukka UTC tomatoes.

“The Nsukka UTC tomato has made tomatoes to be available in the state unlike before now when tomatoes used to be very scarce during this period, though, the price has increased drastically due to the on coming Sallah celebration.

“A 4.5-litre bucket of the Ndukka tomatoes now goes for N1,600 as against between N900 and N1,200 in previous weeks,” Okeke said.

The survey also showed that a 5 litre gallon of vegetable oil increased from N3,200 to between N3,300 and N3,400.