Many families are feeling the effect of the hike in the prices of staples like rice, beans, eggs, tomatoes, and peppers, Sunday PUNCH has learnt.
Several mothers, who spoke to our correspondents, lamented that the prices of foodstuffs had continued to rise despite several interventions by the Federal Government.
Egg, for instance, which used to sell for around N2,700 for a crate in December 2023, has increased to almost N5,000. This has made one egg, which used to be N100, to sell for N200 now.
Long grain rice, which used to sell for around N47,000 for a bag in December, now goes for almost N80,000. This has made a paint bucket of long grain rice now sell for N7,000 as opposed to N4,500 in December.
Pepper and tomatoes have also become expensive, and some sellers only sell between six and seven balls of scotch bonnet pepper for N200. The same quantity of tomatoes, according to multiple market sources, now sells for above N200.
The prices of other staples have continually been on the increase for weeks, putting pressure on the pockets of families.
Many mothers lamented that the money given to them by their husbands for feeding was no longer enough to cater to the needs of the family.
A mother of four, Mrs Tomiwa Ogo, said with the increase in the cost of chicken and beef, her family moved to eggs as a cheaper option.
She said, “I don’t know what the government wants us to do. My family’s monthly feeding allowance for more than two years was N40,000. In January, my husband increased it to N60,000; I am shocked that it is still not enough. I carry everything I buy with that money in just two sack bags. I cannot even afford to buy rice and beans the way I used to.
“We stopped eating meat in my house in January. We opted for eggs. Now, I don’t know if buying meat is better than getting eggs. Egg now sells for almost N5,000 a crate. I bought it for N4,700 last week. How do we survive?”
Another mother, Mrs Tomike Adefarati, said a paint bucket of tomatoes, which she bought for around N2,000 in December, now sells for N4,500. The price of pepper, according to her, has also doubled.
“Now, they no longer sell pepper and tomatoes for N200 like they used to do. If they sell pepper and tomatoes for N500, you will be shocked about the outcome. It is very small. I counted just seven or eight balls of scotch bonnet (atarodo) peppers for N200. The situation is just too much for me,” Adefarati stated.
Another woman, who gave her name simply as Chiwendu, said she had to take her family members to the market so that they would understand the need to tighten their belts.
She explained, “When they saw that eggs were selling for N4,700 a crate, I didn’t need to tell them why they could only have one egg per day and could sometimes have their meals without any form of protein.
