Some foodstuff traders have blamed the current hike in food commodities on the recent increase in the price of petrol in the country.

The traders in separate interviews on Sunday in Lagos called on the government to subsidise food transportation to curb inflation.

They also urged the government to listen to the cry of the masses and reduce the price of petrol.

Speaking on the food hike, the South-West Chairman, All Farmers Association of Nigeria, Dr Babafemi Oke, called for the government’s partnership to subsidise the cost of transporting food from the farm gate to the market.

He said, “There is an increase in the price of food because of the high cost of transporting our goods from the farm gate to the market. Transportation cost has really affected the price of food in the market. It will impact food inflation except the government is able to have a private partnership with the transport operators and cargo businesses. If they are able to subsidise the price of transportation, definitely, it will reduce the price of the commodities in the market.
We urge the government to introduce cargo transport fare to reduce our cost of transportation. If the Compressed Natural Gas vehicles are being provided for the cargo transportation and attached to farmers in every state, definitely, the price of commodities will be reduced.’’

Also speaking, some market women at the First Gate axis of the state said the increase in transport cost was threatening their thin profit margins.

The traders called on President Bola Tinubu to take an urgent action and listen to the cry of the masses.

A cloth seller, Flores Ajani, said going to the market to buy goods had become a problem.

“The President should reduce the price of petrol so that we can afford transport,’’ Ajani said.

Another trader, Mary Ibe, shared how the rising costs of goods, especially vegetables and oils, impacted her business.

“Vegetables I bought today have no gain. Groundnut oil is now N1,900 per bottle, red oil costs N1,100 or N1,150. If the petrol price comes down, everything else will follow because things are very expensive. Even traders who bring goods from the east are forced to increase prices due to the high cost of petrol,” she said.
Another vegetable trader, known as Mama Chisom, lamented that fuel price hike had drastically affected the cost of her produce.
“Ugu is now N1,200, up from N500. Waterleaf is N3,500 for the large bunch and N2,000 for the small. The machines we use to water plants run on fuel, and transportation costs add to the burden,” Ibe said.
A civil servant, Amaka Okwuosa, expressed frustration at the rising cost of things in the market.
“I used to buy a bucket of tomatoes for N1,500, but now, it is almost N4,000. It is becoming difficult to feed my family,” Ms Okwuosa said.
Also, some market women at the Alaba Suru axis of the state proffered solutions to the ongoing fuel price affecting them.
The vice chairperson of the market, Olaide Moshood, popularly known as “Iya Oja,” said that the cost of food commodities was expensive and affected everyone.
“Everything we buy now is expensive because of the hike in the fuel price. Sometimes, I do not get the money from what I sell because I do not want to chase customers away.
“So, this will result in a shortage of my capital when I go to the market again,” Ms Moshood said.

She called for the government’s intervention for traders to make profit after selling their produce.

On his part, a trader at Alaba Suru who sells potatoes, dried pepper and onions, Usman Amusu, lamented that prices of perishable foods had gone up.

Mr Amusu said the price of a bag of dried pepper had grown by 20 per cent to N50,000.

He said, “The fuel price has made some of the goods in the market increase by 20 per cent, specifically a bag of dried pepper sold for nothing less than N50,000. Furthermore, the only way the government can help us is to reduce the price of fuel for easy transportation.’’

A trader of cosmetics, popularly known as Iya Adam, stated that the fuel hike has been the major problem because they cannot do without transportation of goods.

Adam said, “I did not expect the fuel price to increase overnight. My market cannot sell without the transportation of goods, and fuel is needed for it. For a win-win solution, the government can remove the fuel subsidy that was implemented. When you buy goods today, you can never get those goods for the same price because the price changes.
“I pray God touches our government so they can do something about it,” she said.
Mrs Onyeka Kosisochukwu, who sells condiments, also said that fuel hike had affected the price of her goods drastically.
“I am affected by the increase of fuel, and it’s bad. Going to the market to get my goods down to my shop requires transportation. This also makes the market very dull because prices of things keep on scaring my customers away. The government should just do something about it to ease us from this alarming price of food by reducing the price of fuel.
“Even down to the power supply, there should be a constant power supply. It’s difficult to feed when we combine all these things together,” she said.

(NAN)