Prices of food items drop by 50% in Dutse market, FCT

PRICES of food items in Dutse market Abuja have dropped by 50 per cent as farmers harvest new crops, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

A survey by NAN on Thursday showed the commodities affected by the decrease in prices to include maize, rice, beans and millet.

A measure of maize sold at N500 is now N250, while a measure of let millet sold at N400 is N200.

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NAN checks further revealed that beans sold at N800 per measure are now N400 while prices of soup ingredients such as groundnut oil, onions, palm oil, among others have dropped.

A bottle of groundnut oil sold at N600 is now N400, prices of perishable items like onion, tomatoes, okro have also gone down.

A trader in Dutse, Hajiya Zulai Ibrahim told NAN that the drop in prices of foodstuffs was as a result of the new harvest.

Ibrahim described the drop as a common phenomenon during “this time of the year because it is usually harvest season.

“It is a yearly ritual when farmers are harvesting their produce; it usually crashes prices of major food items.’’

Malam Musa Aliyu, a grain dealer in the market has a contrary opinion, attributing the crash in prices of foodstuffs to lack of money in circulation leading to the low purchase of goods by consumers.

According to him, the purchasing power is low and many traders will be forced to reduce prices of all items including foodstuffs and other household items.