The cost of food and cooking gas has risen in Kaduna following the recent nationwide hunger protests.
Prices for commodities like food staples, grains, and other necessities are continuously growing in all markets and retail establishments.
Checks conducted in Kaduna on Monday by a News Agency of Nigeria correspondent revealed that food prices had increased for the fourth time in 2024 alone for goods including rice, beans, yams, garri (cassava flake), and noodles.
For instance, several gas stations in the Kaduna city are currently charging N1,400 for a kilogramme of cooking gas that was selling for between N1,100 and N1,120 in July.
Before the protests, a 50 kg bag of foreign rice would have cost approximately N79,000 at Kaduna’s central market, Sheikh Abubakar Gumi market.
However, after the protests, the price of the bag had increased to between N86,000 and N90,000. Similarly, yams, which were selling for N5,000 per tuber just a few weeks prior, now cost N7,000 per tuber and N28,000 for a set of five.
Eight cups of beans in the area, which used to sell for between N2,000 and N2,500, now fetch N3,500, while a measure of garri,
previously N1,300, was now being sold for between N1,400 and N1,500.
A basket of Irish potatoes that was formerly sold at between N5,000 and N5,500 now costs N6,000, while a carton of Indomie noodles that was formerly sold for N7,500 now costs N7,700.
Some vendors claimed that because of the rise in the cost of goods at the depots and other locations where they made their purchases, they were forced to raise the pricing of food items.
Others, however, emphasised the challenges associated with getting the goods to market and the limited availability of some food items.
A trader, Esther James, who sells food items, said: ”For instance, I don’t sell eggs in bits anymore. I sell an entire crate at N4,400. If I sell singles, I may sell short.
”The Indomie (noodles) used to be N7,500. I now buy it at that amount but I have to make gains somehow, that’s why there is an extra N200.
“The super pack is N17,000 now. And I don’t give a discount; it used to be about N15,000. So, this is why the price is high.”
Significant price increases were also evident when visiting the Kasuwan Bacci market; a measure of white beans was selling for N2,600, up from N2,500 previously.
However, other bean kinds were being offered for sale for between N2,800 and N3,000 per measure.
Three onion bulbs were being sold by Sani Jabo for N500, a figure that has greatly alarmed buyers. A tuber of new yam costs N4,000, while a paint bowl of Irish potatoes was being sold for N4,000.
A little basket of red peppers sold for N1,300, indicating that the price of pepper has also increased. A few inhabitants bemoaned the increase in the cost of food and other necessities.
They said that because of the commodities’ prices rising by roughly 50%, they were in a difficult financial situation due to both the depreciating value of the Naira and other factors.
Mrs. Amina Idris, a local, stated: “Food prices have gone up in the marketplaces since the hunger protests.
“This is because what we used to buy with N5,000 or N10,000 is now what we spend over N15,000 to buy today.”
An artisan, Namoh Stephen, said, “Most of us depend on our daily incomes and we find it difficult to buy foodstuffs that can last for even two days.
“The Naira has no much purchasing power, with the increase in the prices of food items, what N1,000 will buy is nothing compared to when things were not as bad as now.”
