A cross-section of residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) say they can no longer fend for their families due to the rising cost of food.

The residents, who spoke in separate interviews with journalists on Friday in Abuja, said eating beans and yam has become a luxury due to its high cost.

They said this had affected their domestic food timetable, making it impossible to eat varieties.

Glory Ocholi, a mother, said beans has become so expensive that it is difficult to buy it in bulk, as she usually does to help with her nutrition plan.

“Before now, I used to buy 10 mudus of white beans for N9,000 or N10,000, at N900 to N950 each.

“While the red one was usually slightly above N100 or N200.

“Currently, white beans cost N2,800, while red beans are sold for N3,000 to N3,500. Yam, Irish, and sweet potatoes are also very expensive; only the rich can afford them.

“You cannot buy corn or sorghum; vegetables are a no-go area, so at the end of the day, our children are forced to eat whatever we can provide,’’ she said.

Ms Ocholi said that buying foodstuffs at a higher cost had forced her to take off meals like ‘akara’ and pap, which used to be a Saturday morning meal in her home.

She appealed to the government and Nigerian food product suppliers and manufacturers to find ways to address the situation.

Another resident, Habila Makama, said he could no longer afford certain foods due to the high prices.

“I used to compliment yam with sweet or Irish potatoes when yam was not in season, but now I cannot affordany of  them.

“Sweet potatoes that used to be the cheapest are also expensive. Rice is the only available food now, despite its cost,’’ he said.

At the Dutse-Alhaji market, it was reported that five big tubers of yam now go for a negotiable price of N12,000 to N14,000.

At Karu market, corn and millet, previously sold for N850 and N900, are nowbeing  sold for N1,300 per mudu.

A bag of corn, previously sold for N40,000 and millet for N65,000, is now being sold for N90,000 per bag.

A trader in the Karu market, Bashiru Ahmed, said prices of goods fluctuate daily and could increase by 20 per cent or more within a week.

He said traders sometimes go to the market to buy a bag of beans for N160,000 but end up buying between N180,000 and N200,000 due to price fluctuation.

Mr Ahmed attributed the high cost of transportation of the goods from the northern states to the distribution units or towns, where other middlemen or traders buy from.

“We had to increase the price of grains to meet up with the expenses in logistics, and this is making our customers complain, thereby affecting patronage,’’ he said.

He pleaded with the government to implement measures to salvage the cost of transportation and control the market price for grains.

(NAN)