High prices of food items: Consumers, sellers, farmers react

Food consumers, sellers, and farmers in Ibadan on Friday reacted to the high prices of food items, unanimously calling on governments at all levels for a timely intervention.

The respondents told the newsmen in separate interviews that the situation was making life unbearable.

Traders in foodstuffs, fish, and pepper also called for the rescue of Nigerians from starvation arising from the exorbitant prices of the commodities.

A civil servant at the Federal Secretariat, Mrs. Bolaji Alabi, said the situation had become so intense.

According to her, an average family of four now requires double the money it used to take to feed in a month.

Alabi said the rising cost of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), otherwise known as petrol, aggravated the already tense situation of things.

A housewife and petty trader, Mrs. Offiong Etem, who resides at Amuloko, Ona Ara Local Government Area, decried the situation, urging the government to act fast to ameliorate the sufferings of the people.

Mrs. Ramot Akinade, a fish seller at Kola Eleja Depot, Oke-Ado area, said fish had become more expensive than meat.

Akinade said the cost of buying and selling fish recently doubled, making it rarely impossible for sellers to make a profit.

Some of the traders attributed the situation to a high exchange rate, while others blamed it on the high cost of fuel.

However, they unanimously appealed to governments at all levels to shield the masses from hunger by fixing the economy.

“We are working, and there is nothing to show for it; I am even indebted, but for my fish business,” Akinade said.

According to Mr. Timothy Oyediran, another fish seller, a carton of Titus fish now sells for N125,000 from N20,000 in 2023.

“Another brand of fish, Kote, moved from N40,000 to N60,000 per carton, while Sardine is now N50,000, compared to N20,000 in 2023,” he said.

Oyediran noted that Mullet fish had risen to N42,000 from N28,000.

“Panla fish, usually referred to as poor man’s fish, now sell between N33,000 and N45,000 from between N18,000 and N20,000 per carton,” said Oyediran.

A farmer, Jimi Oteyowo, urged the government to do the needful to alleviate the suffering among Nigerians by encouraging agricultural production, especially the production of food crops.

He further called on the state government to wipe out hunger and poverty by ensuring food security and commitment to the development of the agriculture sector.

Oteyowo, also a zonal sales representative of an oil and gas company, said he took to farming as a fallback due to the high prices of goods and services.

He advised farmers to ensure they minimised post-harvest loss of crops to avert further increases in prices.

Meanwhile, an Ibadan-based retired teacher, Mrs. Foluke Akinpelu, identified the massive production of foodstuffs to outweigh demand as one of the solutions to the situation.

To achieve this, she suggested the release of a robust budgetary allocation for the agriculture sector, especially for small-scale farmers, in addition to providing them with more incentives.

Akinpelu said her family had cut down on the quality and quantity of food they consume owing to the high cost of food items.

She said that the essence of eating was to prevent complete starvation.

“If we insist on consuming the same quantity and quality of food, we might end up starving for some days because the amount of money that we used to buy a lot of food items cannot get us the same items at the same cost now.

“So, we decided to reduce the quantity and quality of our meals. To me, this is the best thing to do,” she said.

For instance, she said her household had stopped buying beans because of the high cost.

“Instead, we go for alternatives, but one thing is certain in our household: we have completely forgotten about three square meals.

“Since, as Nigerians, we are not self-sufficient in most of the food items, there is a noticeable shortage of supply, and the demand remains high, hence the continuous rise in prices,” Akinpelu said.

Akinpelu, who is also a traditional competitor expert and a backyard farmer, advised governments at all levels to redouble efforts at achieving food security to tackle rising prices.

She called for strong policies to improve small-scale businesses to combat hunger and grow the economy.

reports that at the popular Bodija International Market, a 25 kilogrammes of King’s vegetable oil is now N58,000 from N35,000, while a small bottle now sells for N1,800.

According to a trader in the market, Mr. John Ike, a bag of rice now sells for N76,000 compared to N45,000 in 2023.

“A big bowl of garri, which was formally N10,000, now sells for N26,000, with a congo selling for N1,300 from N500 in 2023.

Another farmer, Mr. Emmanuel Dosu, said he and his colleagues had tried to feed their respective areas, but the issues of fuel and transportation had remained unfriendly.

“Prices of chemicals used to spray the farms before the planting and harvest period will be considered before selling the farm output.

“Governments at all levels should also intensify efforts in boosting storage of crops during the harvest period for the masses’ sustainability,” Dosu said.