Consumers in Awka and Onitsha in Anambra State are grappling with the soaring cost of food items, leading to high prices for commodities such as rice, beans, garri, palm oil, tomatoes, onions, fruits, and more in various markets across the state. The surge in prices has been attributed to the rise in the value of the dollar, causing distress among residents and prompting them to ration food items.
A visit by a correspondent to the Relief Market in Onitsha and the Eke-Awka Market in Awka revealed the impact of the rising costs on both buyers and sellers. The survey indicated that the price of a 50kg bag of foreign rice at the Relief Market had increased to N72,000 from N51,000 a few weeks earlier. Similarly, a full bag of iron beans rose to N110,000 from N89,000 within the same period.
Prices for baskets of onions, pepper, tomatoes, palm oil, and garri also experienced significant increases. Buyers and sellers were observed quarreling and arguing over the escalating costs of food items.
Nkechi Egbe, a buyer at the Relief Market, expressed concern over the unprecedented increase in food prices, blaming the situation on the rise in the dollar. She questioned the connection between the dollar and locally produced items such as tomatoes, pepper, onions, palm oil, and garri.
Another resident, Obioma Chijioke, who visited the Eke-Awka Market, lamented the unaffordability of fish and eggs, vital sources of protein for many. She expressed concerns that the escalating prices might lead to malnutrition among children if the situation is not urgently addressed.
Marketers and sellers cited the rise in the dollar and the displacement of farmers from their farmlands by bandits as contributing factors to the price hikes. The residents called on governments at all levels to collaborate in addressing the issue and finding solutions to alleviate the economic burden on citizens.
