A cross-section of residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), says they can no longer fend for their families due to the rising cost of foodstuff.
The residents, who spoke in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Abuja, said that eating beans and yam have become a luxury due to its high cost.
This, they said, had affected their domestic food timetable, making it impossible to eat varieties.
Mrs Glory Ocholi, a mother, said that beans have become so expensive that it is difficult to buy in bulk as she usually does to help in her nutrition plan.
“Before now, I used to buy 10 mudus of white beans for between N9, 000 to N10, 000, at N900 to N950 each.
“While the red one was usually slightly above N100 or N200.
“Currently, white beans cost N2,800 while red beans are sold for N3,000 to N3,500 , yam, Irish and sweet potatoes are also very expensive, it is only the rich that can afford them.
“You cannot buy corn or sorghum, vegetables are a no-go area, so at the end of the day, our children are forced to eat whatever we can provide,’’ she said.
Ocholi said that buying foodstuff at a higher cost had forced her to take off meals like ‘akara’ and pap which used to be a Saturday morning meal in her home.
She appealed to both the government and Nigerian Food Products Suppliers and Manufacturers to find ways to address the situation.
Mr Habila Makama, said that he could no longer afford certain foods in his household due to the high prices.
“I used to compliment yam with sweet or Irish potatoes when yam is not in season but now, I cannot afford any of them.
“Sweet potatoes that used to be the cheapest are also expensive. Rice is the only available food now in spite of the cost.
“We eat it every day of the week and probably exchange it with any available swallow with the soup you can afford,’’ he said.
A NAN correspondent who visited the Dutse-Alhaji market reported that five big tubers of yam now go for a negotiable price of N12, 000 to N14, 000.
At Karu market, corn and millet which previously sold for N850 and N900, is now being sold for N1, 300 per mudu.
NAN also reports that a bag of corn which was previously sold for N40, 000 and millet for N65, 000, are now being sold for N90, 000 per bag.
One of the traders in karu market, Mallam Bashiru Ahmed, said that prices of goods fluctuate daily and could increase by 20 per cent or more, within a week.
He said that traders sometimes go to the market to buy a bag of beans for N160, 000, but end up buying for between N180, 000 or N200, 000 due to price fluctuation.
Ahmed attributed the high cost to transportation of the goods from the northern states to the distribution units or towns, where other middle men or traders go to buy from.
“The cost of transportation has contributed to the increase in cost of these foods and it has really affected our business.
“We had to increase the price of grains to meet up with the expenses in logistics, and this is making our customers complain, thereby affecting patronage,’’ he said.
He pleaded with the government to put in place measures that could salvage the cost of transportation and control market price for grains.
This, he said would stop distributors and sellers from inducing unnecessary price increase.
VANGUARD.
