Business

Kwara Market records massive drop in prices of tomatoes, pepper, onions

By Mike Adeyemi
Prices of tomatoes, pepper and onions have reduced by about 45 per cent across Kwara markets, National Pilot have learnt.
Price checks by our medium at Yoruba Road, Ipata and Mandate markets in Ilorin metropolis on Friday, revealed that the drop in price of the food items was due to the bumper harvest of agricultural produce.
A basket of tomatoes, which previously sold for N15,000 now goes for N4, 500 while red pepper (tatashe) now cost N5,000 compared to its previous price of N14,000 a basket.
A basket of chilli pepper (rodo) also reduced from N12,000 to N5,000 and a jute bag of onions, which previously cost N45,000, now goes for N12, 000 or N10,000.
Speaking with our reporter, the chairperson of Tomatoes Sellers Association, Mandate market, Alhaja Kehinde Agbaje attributed the drop in prices of food items to good harvest.
“Price of tomatoes, pepper and onions has reduced in prices compared to what it used to be prior now.
“The reason for this drop is that we are in its season. Everywhere in the north now, there is surplus of tomatoes and pepper and this will last till April.
“A big basket of tomatoes before now was sold within the price range of N20,000 to N18,000. Now it has grossly dropped to between N7,000 and N4,000.
“A bag of Sombo which was sold for N45,000 is now N12,000 and same with onions,” Agbaje said.
She, however, urged the Kwara State Government to come to the aid of tomatoes sellers in the state by giving them soft loan to boost their trade.
“We appeal to the Kwara State Government to give tomatoes sellers at the Mandate market soft loan to enable us expand our businesses,” she appealed.
At Yoruba Road market, a trader, Usman Baliqis expressed joy over the drop in the price of tomatoes and pepper.
According to her, sellers of the commodities now smile to the bank amid increase in the demand for tomatoes and pepper.
“What we are witnessing now is increase in demand as a result of the drop in the price of tomatoes.
Another seller, Alimat Raheem also alluded to the facts that traders in the market are happy with the surplus of the commodities.
“At the moment there is surplus of it and it is cheap. We are happy with the fall in prices of the food items, but we want government to come up with a preservative measure for these commodities to save for the period of drought.
“Presently, the supply of the produce is more than the demand because farmers commenced harvest in December and there would be surplus in the market until April when the harvest season would end.
“That is why we have been advocating for increased investment in tomato processing plants to mop up the excess and reduce waste, create jobs and increase contribution to Gross Domestic Product,” she charged the government.
Raheem urged the Kwara State Government to create an enabling environment towards attracting investors to tomato processing in the state.

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