Traders/ Consumers Lament Over Recent Food Prices Increase

The prices of food items are currently soaring, much to the chagrin of traders and consumers.

A few customers who spoke with PUNCH Metro also expressed dissatisfaction about the lack of certain foods in the market.

Tuesday, our correspondent went to Magboro Market in the Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State. There, she discovered that the cost of basic goods had risen, including tomatoes, onions, melon, and frozen foods.

A trader identified only as Mr. Najanko told PUNCH Metro that the sudden shift in onion prices was getting intolerable.

He said, “I can’t just believe that I sold these same onions five months ago. Some months ago, I bought a bag of onions for N30,000, when I got to the market last two months, I purchased the same bag for N50,000.”

Najanko lamented that the hike in price is eating deep into his profit.

“I barely make a profit again. A bag of onions last month was N70,000. But to my shock, when I got to the market last Saturday, a bag of onions is now N120,000. How will one make a profit?” he wondered.

A buyer, who simply identified herself as Mummy Bright, said, “All the food items are too expensive. Before, a paint of melon was N4,500. Today, what I bought last week has increased to N5,000.

“Tomatoes are now becoming as expensive as gold. We hardly see it in the market again. The government should help to improve the agricultural sector in Nigeria.”