Foodstuffs Prices Soar In Awka

The price of food items within Awka metropolis have skyrocketed due to the high cost of transport occasioned by the increase in the price of petrol.

A market survey by our correspondent at Awka main market, showed that the price of 100 sizeable tubers of yam had increased from N16,000 in December last year to N25,000.

A big bag of beans that sold for N16,000 before January, now sells for N20,000 while a bag of table salt which sold for N1,950 now goes for N2,300.

The survey also revealed that a basket of fresh tomatoes now sell for N5,500 as against N4,500 in December.

Similarly, the prices of other food items such as rice, meat, vegetable oil, as well as various fruits have gone up.

Some traders in the market, who spoke to our correspondent, attributed the situation to the increase in the price of petrol, leading to sharp increase in transport fares.

Mrs Jecinta Okafor, who sells fresh tomatoes in the market, appealed to fuel dealers to reduce the pump price of petrol from N180 per litre to the N97 per litre approved price.

She said that traders would not reduce the cost of foodstuffs unless the price of petrol was brought down to N97 per litre.