Abuja traders and residents are feeling the squeeze from a fresh jump in the cost of tomatoes, peppers and other perishables, with prices climbing further in the days before the sallah celebration.
They say seasonal foods that should be cheaper at harvest time are now beyond the reach of many households. Tomato and pepper prices have risen in recent weeks, and traders say the pressure worsened again just before the holiday period, when demand usually picks up.
Idris Adamu said the wider economic situation had affected almost everything sold in the market. He said a big basket of tomatoes, which cost between N20,000 and N35,000 in February, fluctuated between N60,000 and N100,000 between March and May.
“Between March and May, the price of a big basket of tomatoes fluctuated between N60,000 and N100,000, compared to between N20,000 and N35,000 in February,” Adamu said. He added that some traders did not even have goods to sell and appealed to the government to provide agricultural and transportation support to farmers so food prices could stabilise.
The market strain is not affecting traders alone. Maryam Salawu said she could not buy tomatoes and pepper for resale because the prices were beyond her budget. She said she preferred to wait until prices eased rather than risk losses, especially as many customers could no longer afford the items.
In Karu and Nyanya, the pressure was even more visible. Joy Aromeh said a big basket of tomatoes that once sold for between N13,000 and N20,000 now went for between N65,000 and N80,000. She said the increase had changed what many families could put on the table.
Firdausi Bello said the situation had become unbearable. She said it was increasingly difficult for average Nigerians to feed their families and that she could no longer afford to buy a custard bucket of tomatoes. Bello said one bucket now cost N6,500, while some sellers asked for N7,000 for the same quantity that had sold for N2,500 only a few days earlier.
“I am shocked at the price of tomatoes and peppers. I cannot afford to buy a bucket of tomatoes for N6,500, while some sellers charge N7,000 for the same quantity that sold for N2,500 a few days ago. The only alternative I have now is to continue buying dried tomatoes and peppers until prices drop,” she said.
The sharp rise fits a familiar pattern in the market: some perishable items fall during the rainy season, while others rise because of transportation costs and stronger demand. This time, the surge has hit right before sallah, when shoppers and traders usually need more food and supplies, pushing prices even higher.
For Abuja’s traders and households, that means the cost-of-living crisis is no longer an abstract phrase. It is the price of a basket, the cost of a bucket, and the decision to wait, buy less or do without. The next test is whether supply improves after the holiday rush, or whether the market settles into these higher prices as the new normal.
