Ramadan: Prices of foodstuff escalate in FCT

Prices of foodstuff and other essential commodities have escalated in some markets in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) due to the current Ramadan fast.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) gathered that the rising cost of the commodities is caused by increase in demand during the fasting period, as well as high cost of transportation.

In Abaji market , the survey found that a measure of dates fruit formerly sold at N700 , now sells for N1, 000 due to its high demand for breaking the fast.

Similarly, a bag of maize, which sold for between N6, 000 and N7, 000 before, now sells at between N9, 000 and N10,000.

Musa Salisu, who sells beef in Kuje market, attributed the rising cost of beef to the high demand of the commodity because of the Ramadan fast, as well as the poor condition of the road from the abattoir to the market.

“The price of beef has increased because of the Ramadan period and the bad road to Kuje market,” he said.

He, therefore, appealed to the Kuje Area Council to fix the road and equip the abattoir with the necessary modern facilities.

NAN also found that prices of perishables such as tomatoes, pepper and onions have gone up as a basket of tomatoes now goes for N9,000 as against N5,000, before.

The Chairman of Kuje Traders Union, Alhaji Yunusa, accused some traders of hoarding essential commodities at the beginning of the Ramadan period in order to create artificial scarcity.