There is growing worry in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, about the continuous rise in the price of vegetables and other food items, with many citizens and food merchants lamenting the situation.
They said the situation was impacting companies and household feeding. NAN reports.
Those who spoke to our correspondent in Abuja today said they were using diverse ways to remain in business with increased costs.
Mrs. Mary Augustine, owner of a local restaurant in the FCT, stated the costs of tomatoes, pepper and green vegetables have risen dramatically in the last few months.
“Previously, a big basket of tomatoes was sold for between N45,000 and N48,000, but now, it is being sold for between N85,000 and N90,000.
“A 50kg bag of pepper used to cost between N20,000 and N30,000 but now it is between N120,000 and N150,000,” she stated.
She claimed that the increase in the pricing has led many food providers to either increase the prices of the meals or cut the portion.
We use vegetables daily for making soups, stew and salads but the prices are increasing practically every week.
“Sometimes we spend more than twice what we used to spend in the market and yet customers still expect the same price and quantity of food.
“So, I began to buy vegetables in bulk direct from the farmers and preserve them to avoid visiting the market often,” said Augustine.
Another food vendor, Mrs Fatima Muhammad, said the growing cost of cooking supplies like tomatoes, tatashe, shombo and pepper had drastically harmed her business, causing her to modify the manner she prepared meals.
She said that she no longer uses tomatoes regularly because of the high price.
“When I cook, I usually add tomatoes, tatashe, shombo and pepper, but the persistent rise in prices has forced me to change my cooking pattern.
“I now buy smaller quantities of tatashe and rely more on shombo, despite it also being expensive, also pepper have become even more expensive and hard to buy in large quantities.
“Onions are the cheapest vegetables now but though it is important to improve the taste of food, it can cause food spoilage when used excessively without proper preservation especially due to poor electricity supply,” Muhammad said.
She added many food vendors are resorting to bottled cooking pastes and sachet pepper blends as cheaper substitutes for fresh ingredients due to the high market prices.
She mentioned that even with the use of tiny quantities of natural ingredients where possible, good cooking may still be achieved.
Muhammad encouraged entrepreneurs to be prudent in price management to preserve consumer loyalty and brand reputation.
“Customers might be alienated by regular price increases or by reducing the amount of food. “Business owners need to take different strategies to deal with the current situation in order to retain customer loyalty,” she said.
Mrs Lateefat Yusuf, a caterer, said the high cost of tomatoes, pepper and tatashe had made her to change the way she operates to remain in business and keep her customers happy.
“I have had to go for alternatives like sachet tomato paste because of the persistent hike in prices of cooking ingredients.
“I can’t buy half the things I used to buy with the money I normally spend in the market.
“Sometimes I have to go to the market with double or even triple amount of money due to the high prices of the veggies which are even difficult to find these days.
“Onion is the only ingredient whose price has not increased much yet it cannot be used alone for cooking.
“We still do our best to make sure that customers are satisfied when they give us catering jobs despite the challenges,” she said.
Mr Isah Sagir, a restaurant operator, attributed the high prices of vegetables to high transportation expenses and post-harvest losses.
He said many small business owners are trying to reconcile quality service with affordability.
“If we raise food prices too much, we’ll lose customers. But if we keep the prices low, we may not have any profit.
“So now we use our ingredients properly and try to minimize waste in the kitchen,” Sagir said.
Some residents voiced concern over the increased cost of food at eateries stating it was hurting their eating habits.
A housewife, Maman Zainab claimed the growing price of culinary items was badly affecting her especially during the festival season.
“We have to use dried vegetables or cooking paste now because fresh vegetables are too expensive,” she remarked.
Civil servant Mr Benjamin Amos said he was paying more for food outside his home today because vendors had upped their pricing.
He encouraged the government authorities to provide incentives to farmers and enhance transportation infrastructure to cut the cost of food commodities.
Vegetable grower Dr Abdulwahab Ishaq said the increased cost of vegetables was due to economic issues, insecurity in farming areas, high cost of transportation and weather-related challenges.
He asked for increased support for farmers, better storage facilities and efforts to prevent waste, following harvest, across the country.
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