With the commencement of fasting which usually signifies the beginning of the Ramadan season, food prices in the market are crashing in states like Yobe, Borno, among others.
It was gathered that the crash in the food prices is quite notable on farm produce like millet, maize, beans and even rice which has been on an all-time high for some time.
Speaking on the new development, some marketers and business people within the markets said they are grateful for the crash in foodstuff prices.
While some of the sellers commended the government for introducing various initiatives to sustain the production of foodstuff by farmers, others said the prices began to drop when it was obvious that people could no longer afford the products and some perishables were going to waste.
However, Adamu Isah, a foodstuff seller said the current drop in prices is due to the harvest season.
Isah noted that this is the season of harvest and at this particular time – annually – prices of foodstuffs usually drop because there is an abundance of produce.
For instance, the price of rice which sold at almost N90,000 last year has dropped to N65,000; beans dropped from N150,000 to about N75,000 while millet which initially stood at N80,000 has now dropped to N45,000.
He, however, called in the governments at all levels to drive policies that would reduce the hardship faced by Nigerians across the country.
Isah said, “We need support, even the farmers need to be supported with seedlings, fertiliser, subsidised farming plans so they can produce more crops.”