Consumers and traders in markets across Kaduna have lamented rising food prices, saying many households have reduced consumption and abandoned bulk purchases because of inflation.
A survey across Sabo, Narayi, Kakuri and Ungwan Boro markets showed that buyers who previously purchased rice and beans in half or quarter bags now buy smaller quantities.
At Sabo Market, Rebecca Joseph said her monthly food budget had doubled, yet ₦30,000 could no longer buy enough rice, beans and garri to feed her family for two weeks. She now mixes rice with more beans and buys cheaper broken rice.
A civil servant, Sani Bello, said his ₦80,000 salary could no longer sustain his family, forcing them to eat once daily, while his children take garri to school.
Traders also reported declining sales and blamed rising transport costs for higher prices. Grain seller Hadiza Lawal said she now struggled to sell two bags of rice weekly, compared with more than 10 bags previously. According to her, a bag of foreign rice rose from ₦75,000 in January to ₦125,000, while beans increased from ₦45,000 to ₦130,000.
She attributed the increases partly to fuel costs and poor roads, adding that transportation for wholesalers travelling to villages had risen from ₦15,000 to between ₦40,000 and ₦60,000.
Vegetable seller Grace Simon said buyers now pool money to purchase vegetables. She explained that transporting a basket of ugu from Jos cost ₦8,000, in addition to its ₦12,000 purchase price. She also cited harmattan and fertiliser prices of ₦45,000 per bag as factors affecting supply.
Blessing Sunday, a mother of four, said she had stopped cooking egusi soup regularly because of its cost. Egusi now sells for ₦5,500 per mudu, compared with ₦2,800 last year, while ogbono costs ₦7,000 and crayfish ₦6,500 per mudu. Seller Kabiru Musa said many customers now buy the products in ₦200 and ₦500 portions.
At Kakuri abattoir, meat buyer Tina Okoro said the price of a kilogramme of meat had risen from ₦4,500 last year to ₦7,000. She now buys two kilogrammes instead of five and uses more bones, crayfish and seasoning.
Meat seller Danladi Suleiman blamed high cattle-feeding and transportation costs, alongside insecurity, for rising prices.
Yam seller Aisha Mohammed also said insecurity had forced traders to abandon shorter routes through bush paths and travel through Kafanchan, increasing fuel costs. She said 100 large tubers that cost ₦150,000 last season now sell for ₦280,000, while smaller tubers cost ₦120,000.
Buyer Peter Ayuba said he previously bought 20 large tubers for ₦50,000 but could now afford only 10 small tubers for ₦45,000.
Consumers appealed for measures to ease the hardship as they struggle to afford basic food items.
