By Adebisi Fatima Sogbade
Buyers and sellers of foodstuffs in Ibadan have called for lasting solutions to food price increases, especially during festive periods.
In separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday, the buyers and sellers called on the government, farmers, and market associations to resolve the matter.
Food prices have gone up astronomically at Itamerin, Akinyele, Omi-Adio, Bode, and Aleshinloye markets, all in Ibadan, as the world celebrates Christmas on Wednesday.
A federal civil servant, Mr Abiodun Oyetunde, urged the Federal Government (FG) to counter the challenge by selling foodstuffs directly to citizens at low prices.
He said the move would compel those hoarding their produce in warehouses to maximise profit by bringing it out and selling it at reasonable prices.
Oyetunde, however, said the delay in the payment of the December salary would prevent affected families from buying foodstuffs for the celebrations.
Therefore, he appealed to the FG to ensure prompt salary payments so that families could buy all they needed ahead of the festive days.
A consumer, Mrs Uju Okwudiri, who described 2024 as challenging, said chicken, at N25,000, had exceeded the average family’s reach.
She, however, encouraged homemakers to rear chickens in their backyards, even if they would be local fowls.
A buyer, Mrs Folake Sodimu, called on the government to build silos and assist traders and farmers dealing with perishable items to preserve and make their produce available to customers at all times.
A media consultant, Mr Sunday Adebayo, called on farmers’ associations and government agencies to ensure that government intervention reached the real farmers and not fraudulent personalities acting as farmers.
According to him, those who are not actual farmers have constantly developed means of robbing sincere farmers of agricultural inputs meant to develop farmlands in Nigeria.
To achieve this, Adebayo said there must be synergy and sincerity among the different farmers’ associations, government agencies, and market associations to achieve the right thing.
Adebayo also called on governments to make mechanised farming a reality in their various domains.
“The days of subsistence family farming are gone. These days, mechanised farming, enhanced by modern tractors and other farming equipment, guarantees national food security, and enough produce for sellers and buyers, including sufficient profits for farmers. With mechanised farming, everybody smiles,” he said.
Meanwhile, tomato, pepper, and onion sellers said prices increased due to their off-season nature in the southwest.
They said that because the produce was being brought in from the North, the high cost of transportation would make it expensive.
A big basket of tomatoes, formerly sold between N8,000 and N10,000, now sells between N15,000 and N20,000.
A small basket of tomatoes, previously sold between N5,000 and N6,000, now sells between N8,000 and N9,000, depending on the quality of the produce.
At the chicken market at Liberty Road, a seller, Mrs Rebecca Andrew, lamented the drop in chicken sales compared with 2023.
According to Andrew, an average chicken sells between N22,000 and N25,000, while a live turkey sells between N70,000 and N85,000.
She explained that the prices of feeds and day-old chicks contributed significantly to what she bought and is now selling.
At Omi-Adio, a vegetable oil seller, Mrs Maria Ajani, expressed dissatisfaction with the level of sales.
She attributed the situation to the high demand for vegetable oil ahead of the Christmas and New Year celebrations.
Ajani says the price of vegetable oil increases daily, making a 50kg vegetable oil keg to sell between N80,000 and N85,000.
At the tomato section of the market, a tomato seller, Mrs Khadijat Bolarinwa, says a basket of tomatoes from the North is now N85,000.
Bolarinwa said a bag of Atarodo (a kind of pepper) now sells between N70,000 and N100,000, while Bawa pepper sells for N80,000.
NAN reports that 40 pieces of medium onion sell at N10,000.
The Chairman of the Onion Sellers Association in Oyo State, Alhaji Azeez Ademola, says a big bag of onions, previously sold at N100,000, now sells for N300,000, while a small bag sells for N200,000.
Ademola attributed the hike to the incident in Zamfara, Yobe, and Sokoto states, in which bandits chased out onion farmers from their farms, forcing them to leave their produce unharvested.
“The economy has affected a lot of homes, as some traders can no longer purchase goods at the usual rate.
“Virtually, all the prices of goods in the market have soared,” he said.
