Cost of living: Uncertainty hits homes as Ramadan sets in

Uncertainty about the rate of commodities continues to beat the imagination of market forces and consumers with the month of Ramadan few days away. Daily Trust Saturday reports that the situation is likely to worsen, going by the current economic situation in the country. Both traders and consumers interviewed by Daily Trust Saturday described the […]

Uncertainty about the rate of commodities continues to beat the imagination of market forces and consumers with the month of Ramadan few days away. Daily Trust Saturday reports that the situation is likely to worsen, going by the current economic situation in the country.

Both traders and consumers interviewed by Daily Trust Saturday described the present daily increase of prices of commodities as the worst in recent time.

Fruit traders lament

At the Abuja fruit market located in Zuba town in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), traders are in top gear of preparation to witness the most seasonal period of their sales, the month of Ramadan, when Muslim are expected to break their fasting.  

Hassam Kula, a trader, said the price of each commodity may crash or rise higher, depending on available supply. “If, for example, we wake up with a single supply of watermelon, orange, pineapple or pawpaw, its price would automatically skyrocket, either during or off Ramadan.

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“But when the market is filled with supply with about 100 trucks of one of these commodities, the price will automatically crash, no matter what the demand is. 

“There are other instances that have to do with transportation. When a commodity is available within FCT farms, you don’t expect its price to go as high as one that has been supplied from far away states. It is also related to dry and rainy seasons. A product cultivated during the rainy season is likely to be cheaper than the one cultivated during dry season, which you have to water, especially now that the price of fuel is expensive.”

According to him, at present, watermelon, which is categorised into four grades, is sold at N3,000, N2,000 or N1000 respectively, with the lowest one selling at N200 and even below. He said a bag of oranges cost N15,000 while that of pineapple cost between N20,000 and N15,000, and when it faces low supply, it could cost up to N30,000.

Our goods stranded at Niger border – Date merchant

A date and local tea trader in the FCT, Malam Muhammad Ali, lamented that date fruits imported from Niger Republic had been stranded in some towns. As a result of this, their members are encountering shortage of the commodity, and it is likely to get worse when Ramadan fasting starts.

He said trucks loaded with the commodities were yet to be allowed to leave towns like Jibia in Katsina State and other locations within Sokoto and Jigawa states. 

He said its price had risen to N1,500 per kilo among dealers, while it is sold at N2,500 per measure to consumers. He said a 100kg bag cost between N150,000 and N180,000, depending on the brand. He added that the same time last year, it was sold at the rate of N80,000 or N90,000. He called on the concerned authorities to save the situation as many citizens rely on the business.    

Giving a breakdown of the prices of commodities, a provision store owner in Kubwa market in the Federal Capital Territory, Stella Maris Emmanuel, said a carton of liquid milk she bought at N 28,000 increased to N33,000, a sharp increase of N5,000 within two weeks.

She said a carton of Indomie noodle was bought at N8,000, only to increase to N10,850 after two days. She, however, said the price of the commodity dropped to N8,550 last week when she got supply from distributors. 

She described soft drink as the worst affected, along with bottled water, as, according to her, its prices keep increasing every weekend.

 “Cway bottled water, which is produced here in Abuja, was bought at N1,400 by wholesalers, while consumers bought at N1,500. This was something I bought at N1,300 last week and sold at N1,400. These are what we have been going through every week,” Madam Maris lamented. 

She gave the price of Coca Cola as N3,000 for a big size, while the small one is sold at N2,000. For a bag of sugar, she bought at N60,200, but it increased to 66,000, then N70,500. 

“As at today (Wednesday) it is N80,000 per bag, I don’t know how much it will be sold tomorrow,” she said.

It is the same thing for a brand of a certain powdered milk bag. “I previously bought it at N136,000, but one week after, it has increased to N 180,000 per bag, so I had to add a lot of money to be able to purchase it,” she added.  

She said Abuja seemed to enjoy lower prices of provision items, in comparison to some states, due to the high number of warehouses and distributors who engage in competition in order to attract more patronage.

She said distributors that have many warehouses may stock a lot of goods and continue to sell at lower prices in comparison to those that have few, adding that same goes to traders that are dealing directly with consumers. 

Our reporter observed that a measure of sugar, which was sold at N2,800 by one of the traders around the market, was being sold at N3,200 by another trader in the same place.

Kano

In Kano State, it was gathered that the cost of commodities became so alarming that many Muslim faithful started preparing for Ramadan, months before the fasting period. However, many have resolved to welcome the fasting period with the little they have and wish for divine intervention.

Malam Idris Ahmad, a civil servant and father of five, said they would welcome the fasting period as it arrives but not with the regular enthusiasm. He explained that already, the period had been tagged as ‘Fasting of Kunu ba Suga,’ meaning the fasting of pap without sugar. 

He revealed that with the present cost of things in the country, many households would miss the opportunity to enjoy decent meals.

“If you go around the city you will find out that many households would not be able to do what they used to do,” he said.

Another resident, Malam Shehu Bala, revealed that a lot of residents’ hope was on the state government’s planned free Ramadan feeding programme. He said that for the fact that foodstuff have gradually become almost unaffordable to many households, the only hope is the state-planned free feeding programme.

Recent checks by Daily Trust Saturday revealed that 50kg of locally milled rice is now selling at N62,000, a 50kg of sugar is selling a little over N80,000, a 100kg bag of millet is now N61, 000, a crate of egg is selling above N3,000, and all other basic commodities have recorded increase in price.