Food prices continue to soar in Abuja, environs

Prices of staple food have continued to increase in Abuja and Nasarawa State, our correspondent reports.

A market survey conducted by our correspondent on Tuesday, revealed that residents are frustrated due to the increase in prices of staple food items in Abuja and environs.

Mr Daniel Chukwuekezie, the Chairman of Garri sellers in Masaka market, Nasarawa state, said a bag of yellow Garri which sold for N8,000 now is selling for N22,000, while white Garri that was sold for N7,000 is now sold for N17,000.

Chukwuekezie attributed the increase in food prices to the cost of transportation, which he said had affected his purchasing power.

Mr Ezekiel Okpa, another trader in Masaka market, said a bag of beans previously sold for N27,000 was now being sold for N49,000.

Okpa said a bag of Nigerian Rice previously sold for between N15,000 and N20,000 is presently sold for N35,000, while a bag of foreign Rice that was sold for N30,000 now goes for N44,000.

A trader in Nyanya market, Joy Peter said that a 25 litres of palm oil that was sold for N7,000 was currently being sold for N24,000 while 25 litres of groundnut oil that was sold for N12,000 is now sold N32,000.

She said that four litres of palm is sold for N7,200 as against N3,200 while four litres of groundnut oil is sold for between N5,500 to N10,000 depending on the product.

Grace Ukpong said palm oil that was sold for N10,000 is no being sold for N25, 000 while groundnut oil that was sold for N15, 500 now goes for N32,000, depending on the product.

Ukpong said that it was always frustrating whenever she goes to the market to restock her shop, because of the astronomical rise in prices of food.

Mr Abubakar Musa, a rice seller at Mararaba market, Nasarawa state said the price for foreign rice and local rice had increased, forcing most people to opt for local rice.

Musa said that a mudu of foreign rice goes for N1,500, while the local rice goes for N900 as against N1,000 and N600 as at February.

Mrs Janet Ibrahim, who sells maize at Aso Pada market, Nasarawa state, said that the price of maize per mudu was now N400 as against its former price of N150.

She said that a bag of maize now goes for N25,000 as against N15,000 and N10,000 respectively as at few months ago.

Ibrahim attributed the increase in prices to the onset of the planting and rainy season.

Mr Kaminu Abubarka at Aso Pada Market, said cost of rice and beans are increasing everyday due to the season.

“As at two weeks ago, I sold beans at N700 but this week, I sold it for N750 because the rains were not encouraging,” she said.

Mrs Motun Makinde-Ola, a trader at the Mararaba Orange market, said prices of food items skyrocketed in the last two weeks because of the crisis in parts of the country.

”Widespread insecurity in northern and eastern Nigeria has compelled major suppliers of food items to the southern part of the country, particularly the south-western axis, to suspend supplies,” she said.