Zuba residents decry high cost of food items

Some residents of Yimi community in Zuba, Gwagwalada Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have decried the continuous rise in the prices of food items.

A market survey conducted by the newsmen on Tuesday, revealed that residents are worried by the steady increase in the price of foodstuffs in the past months.

The residents said that low income earners were mostly affected by the increase in food prices, making it hard for them to make ends meet.

Mr David Henry, a rice seller said that consumers are feeling the hardship of the price hike with some only able to eat once a day.

He said that many traders have observed that the prices of food items increase almost every hour, causing the prices of things bought in the morning to change before mid-day.

“We spend a lot of money on transportation to bring goods from various states to sell to our customers.

“Before now, a bag of white garri was sold for N17, 000 but now it is sold for N40, 000 and N45, 000.

“While a Mudu of white garri is sold for N1, 200 and N1, 500 and red garri goes for N1,700 as against N700 and N850 for white garri and N1,000 for red,” Henry said.

Ada Eze, a seller of food items in Zuba market urged the government to step in and regulate the prices of food items.

Eze said this was because farmers are no longer going to the farms because of the insecurity in the country.

She said a bag of local rice currently goes for N76,500, 000 and N77,000, while foreign rice goes for N105,000 as against N50,000 and N55,000 respectively.

“We currently sell a mudu of local rice for N2,350 and N2,500 while the foreign rice is sold for N3,500 and N3,800 as against N1,200 and N1,500 in January,” she said.

“Most areas are not safe again, that is why the prices of food keep increasing every day.

“The cost of living is going up and people cannot afford the basic things they need to live, like food.

“The price of food is affecting businesses like rice, beans and meat because people find it difficult to buy and sell,” she said.

Ebube Eze,a trader in Zuba market, expressed worry that the price of garri, beans and bread are still going up even though the price of dollars has come down.

He attributed the high cost of food items to insecurity and government’s decision to remove fuel subsidy.

Eze said that a bag of beans initially sold for N100,000 now goes for N150,000, while a mudu goes for N3,200 for brown beans while the white beans is sold between N2,600 and N2, 800.