The prices of some staple food items have risen by over 100 per cent, barely a month to Christmas.A market survey conducted by our correspondent on Tuesday, showed that the prices of tomato, pepper, onion, ugu vegetable, okra, garden egg and fish, among others, had been on the increase in the past two weeks.The price increase ranges from 7.6 per cent to 400 per cent, representing over 100 per cent on the average. The prices of some food items such as rice, beans and groundnut oil, have, however, remained stable over the same period. But the sharp increase in price of some of the comodities has prompted emergency meetings by market leaders, especially those at the Mile 12 Market, Ketu, Lagos. Our correspondent learnt that the meetings, which involved other major stakeholders, were aimed at averting further outrageous rise in food prices during the Yuletide.A big basket of tomato, which sold for N3,000 at the Mile 12 Market last week, went for N5,000 on Tuesday, an increase of 66.8 per cent; while the small basket had increased in price by 100 per cent from N1,500 to N3,000. A big bag of a species of pepper known as tatase, which sold for N4,000 last week, now went for N7,000, a 75 per cent increase. The price of the small bag had gone up to N3,500 from N1,400, representing an increase of 150 per cent. Similarly, a big bag of another pepper variety, popularly called atarodo, which now cost N7,000, had sold for N6,500 two weeks ago, an increase of about 7.7 per cent; while the price of the small bag had risen from N3,500 to N5,000, an increase of 42.9 per cent. The price of onion had also risen by about 143 per cent. For instance, a big bag of the commodity, which sold for N7,000 two weeks ago, had gone up to N17,000 when our correspondent visited the market on Tuesday. But the small-sized bag, which sold for N3,000 two weeks ago, had increased to N6,000 on Tuesday, representing a 100 per cent rise. At the Ketu Market, a bundle of ugwu vegetable, which hitherto sold for N1,500, had gone up to N5,000 representing a 233 per cent increase. The price of a basket of okro had also risen by about 400 per cent from N1,100 two weeks ago, to N5,500 as at Tuesday. The price of a basket of garden eggs had also increased from N1,200 to N3,000 within the same period, which is about 150 per cent rise. A carton of Titus fish had also risen in price from N7,500 to about N8,500. This represents about 6. 7 per cent increase. A pepper seller at the Mile 12 Market, Mallam Awilo Aliyu, said that the increase in the prices of pepper started two weeks ago as it had become common whenever Christmas was approaching. He said, "For the price increase to have started by this time, buyers should take it as a hint to stock up foods in preparation for the Christmas and New Year festivities because the increase will surely be more than double by the end of the year and the beginning of 2012." A yam seller, who confirmed the trend on Tuesday, projected that 100 tubers currently selling for about N25,000, might increase with the approach of Christmas, just like it happened last year."Festive seasons present opportunities for sellers to make increased profits, as people do a lot of shopping around the period. The price increase is not limited to food items; but includes clothes, shoes and varying gift items, among other necessities," he said. Another trader at the popular Mile 12 Market, who simply gave her name as Amaka, said the vegetable section had yet to experience a boom in sales, as the prices of the various items had remained fairly unchanged because buyers had not been coming in droves. She, however, singled out okro as an exception.She said, "Okro is not in season now; so, the increase in price will continue until it is available. The price may go up as high as N10,000 per measure by December because by this time last year, we sold it for more than that." Commenting on the increase in food prices, the Organising Secretary, Perishable Foodstuff Section, Mile 12 Market, Alhaji Adamu Adeja, said the situation had been brought to the notice of the executives of the market. "That is the reason we called an emergency meeting today (Tuesday) to address it. We respect the authority of the state and we want to assure the populace that even if the commodities react to the impending festive period, prices will not be allowed to go up abnormally," he said. Adeja said it was not a good attitude to allow buyers to experience pains during festive periods, noting that the executives had been trying to make sure that such a trend would not happen every time. "As part of our efforts, we have ordered for more trailers of onions because we have realised that the price will go down if we have more than enough," he said. However, the Chairman of the onion sellers group, Alhaji Mohammed Ranchers, said the price of the commodity had been going down.
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