Food price hikes at festive periods: Buyers, sellers call for lasting solutions

Buyers and sellers of foodstuffs in Ibadan have called for lasting solutions to the challenge of food price increases, especially during festive periods.

The buyers and sellers, in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday, called on the government, farmers and market associations to resolve the matter.

It was reported that prices of foodstuffs have gone up astronomically at Itamerin, Akinyele, Omi-Adio, Bode and Aleshinloye markets, all in Ibadan, as the world celebrates Christmas on Wednesday.

A federal civil servant, Mr Abiodun Oyetunde, urged the Federal Government (FG) to counter the challenge by selling foodstuffs directly to citizens at low prices.

He said the move would compel those hoarding their produce in warehouses to maximize profit to bring them out and sell at reasonable prices.

Oyetunde, however, said the delay in the payment of the December salary would prevent affected families from buying foodstuffs for the celebrations.

He, therefore, appealed to the FG to ensure prompt payment of salaries to enable families to buy all they need ahead of the festive days.

A consumer, Mrs Uju Okwudiri, who described 2024 as challenging, said chicken, at N25,000, had gone beyond the reach of an average family.

She, however, encouraged housewives to rear chickens in their backyards, even if they would be local fowls.

A buyer, Mrs Folake Sodimu, called on the government to build silos and assist traders and farmers dealing with perishable items to preserve and make their produce available to customers at all times.

A media consultant, Mr Sunday Adebayo, called on farmers’ associations and government agencies to ensure that government intervention reached the real farmers and not fraudulent personalities acting as farmers.

According to him, those who are not true farmers have always developed means of robbing sincere farmers of agricultural inputs meant to develop farmlands in Nigeria.

To achieve this, Adebayo said there must be synergy and sincerity to achieve the right thing among the different farmers’ associations, government agencies and market associations.

Adebayo also called on governments at all levels to make mechanised farming a reality in their various domains.

“The days of subsistence family farming are gone.

“These days, mechanised farming, enhanced by modern tractors and other farming equipment, guarantees national food security, enough produce for sellers and buyers, including sufficient profits to farmers.

“With mechanised farming, everybody smiles,” he said.

Meanwhile, sellers of tomato, pepper and onion said prices went up due to their off-season nature in the South-West.

They said with the produce being brought in from the North, the high cost of transportation would make them expensive.

It was reported that a big basket of tomatoes, formerly sold between N8,000 and N10,000, now sells between N15,000 and N20,000.

A small basket of tomatoes, previously sold between N5,000 and N6,000, now sells between N8,000 and N9,000, depending on the quality of the produce.

At the chicken market at Liberty Road, a seller, Mrs Rebecca Andrew, lamented the drop in chicken sales compared with 2023.

According to Andrew, an average chicken sells between N22,000 and N25,000, while a live turkey sells between N70,000 and N85,000.

She explained that the prices of feeds and day-old chicks contributed greatly to what she bought and now selling.

At Omi-Adio, a vegetable oil seller, Mrs Maria Ajani, expressed dissatisfaction with the level of sales.

She attributed the situation to the high demand for vegetable oil ahead of the Christmas and New Year celebrations.

Ajani says the price of vegetable oil increases daily, making a 50kg vegetable oil keg to sell between N80,000 and N85,000.

At the tomato section of the market, a tomato seller, Mrs Khadijat Bolarinwa, says a basket of tomatoes from the north is now N85,000.

Bolarinwa said a bag of Atarodo (a kind of pepper) now sells between N70,000 and N100,000, while Bawa pepper sells for N80,000.

It was reported that 40 pieces of medium onion sell at N10,000.

The Chairman, Onion Sellers Association in Oyo State, Alhaji Azeez Ademola, says a big bag of onions, previously sold at N100,000, now sells for N300,000, while a small bag sells for N200,000.

Ademola attributed the hike to the incident in Zamfara, Yobe, and Sokoto states, in which bandits chased out onion farmers from their farms, forcing them to leave their produce unharvested.

“The economy has affected a lot of homes, as some traders can no longer purchase goods at the usual rate.

“Virtually, all the prices of goods in the market have soared,” he said.