The arrival of the month of Ramadan has led to a significant increase in the prices of fruits and vegetables in the Yankaba and Yanlemu markets in the metropolis. In just four days, prices have risen exponentially. For example, an apple that used to sell for ₦300 now trades for ₦450. Similarly, watermelons also saw a sharp price hike, from ₦700 to ₦1,500 for medium ones and from ₦1,700 to ₦3,000 for large ones. A dozen oranges are now ₦1,000 instead of ₦700, and a bunch of bananas is trading at ₦2,000 instead of ₦1,200. Medium pineapples sell for ₦800 while papayas are available at ₦800. ₦1,000, significant increases from their respective previous prices of ₦500 and ₦700.
The same is true for basic products such as rice, sugar, millet and eggs, the prices of which have also increased. A 50 kg bag of local rice now sells for ₦62,000, while that of sugar is sold for just over ₦82,000. Millet in a 100 kg bag is now ₦61,000 and a crate of eggs sells for above ₦3,200.
Market traders attributed the price increase to growing demand combined with limited supply of these products. A trader, Mallam Habu Ali, pointed out that fruits and vegetables are particularly popular during the fasting month of Ramadan, thus explaining this sudden increase in prices. He also mentioned that high transportation costs and difficult trading conditions contributed to this price increase.
It is therefore important for consumers to take this situation into account when making their purchases, taking into account the financial impact that this could have on their budget during this period.