As Muslims prepare for the Eid-el-Kabir celebration, many Lagos residents are struggling with rising food and livestock prices, as the cost of pepper, tomatoes and rams continues to climb across major markets in the state.
A market survey conducted by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday at various markets showed that while rice prices have dropped slightly due to improved supply, the cost of fresh produce and livestock has risen sharply ahead of the festival.
Traders blamed the increases on high transportation costs, insecurity on major roads, fluctuating supply and increased festive demand.
At Mushin Market, a rice dealer, Mr John Jerome, u said long-grain rice now sells between N63,000 and N65,000 per bag, compared with between N75,000 and N85,000 during the same period last year.
He added that short-grain rice had also dropped to between N52,000 and N53,000 from about N60,000 to N65,000 previously.
According to him, improved supply has helped stabilise prices.
“The way goods enter the market determines the price. Once supply improves, prices naturally reduce,” he said.
However, the story is different for pepper and tomatoes.
A pepper seller at Mushin Market, Mr Emmanuel Suni, said baskets of tomatoes now sell between N75,000 and N100,000, compared with between N30,000 and N60,000 some months ago.
He added that ‘rodo’ (scotch bonnet pepper) now costs about N22,000 per partially-filled kwatanla nylon bag.
According to him, ‘Bawa’ pepper, which previously sold for between N10,000 and N20,000, now goes for between N50,000 and N55,000.
“You can go to the market today (Monday) and see prices drop slightly, but by Tuesday or Wednesday they rise again. But ‘
rodo’ remains very expensive,” he said.
At Aguda Market, a trader who simply identified herself as Iya Ibeji said demand for pepper usually rises ahead of the Eid-el-Kabir, but transportation difficulties have made the situation worse this year.
She said baskets of tomatoes sourced from Mile 12 now sell between N80,000 and N105,000, while rodo costs about N27,000 per partially-filled kwatanla bag.
“The market is very unstable now. Prices change within two days. Rodo is the most expensive because demand is high and supply is low,” she said.
Another trader, Iya Favour, said although rice prices from suppliers had dropped, transportation and operating costs still affected retail prices.
“We have to include transportation and a small profit before selling. We cannot sell at the exact price we bought it,” she said.
Livestock sellers also said prices of rams and goats had risen sharply ahead of the celebration.
At Bode Thomas Market, a livestock dealer, Umaru, blamed insecurity and rising transport fares for the increases.
He said rams now sell between N550,000 and N700,000, compared with between N250,000 and N450,000 previously.
Goats now cost between N250,000 and N350,000, while cows sell from about N1.3 million upward.
“The insecurity on the road affects everything. Transporters charge more now, and bringing animals into Lagos is more difficult than before,” he said.
Some residents who spoke with NAN expressed concern that the rising prices may affect their ability to celebrate the festival as planned.
Many said they were already adjusting their spending and considering cheaper alternatives as preparations for Eid-el-Kabir intensify.
