Some traders in Port
Harcourt markets have predicted further drop in the prices of food items following the conclusion  of the gubernatorial and House of Assembly polls.
Some of the traders said that prices of food items such as pepper, tomatoes, chilli pepper and onions would experience a sharp drop in prices.
Prior to the presidential election, there was panic buying among Port Harcourt residents due to fear of an outbreak of post-election violence.
The panic buying may have led to the overstocking of homes with food items and consequent increase in prices of food items in Port Harcourt markets.
The high cost of food items was also worsened by the absence of trucks that load such items from the northern part of the country to Port Harcourt.
The Tide had observed that the price of meat within that period increased to over 100 per cent, alongside yam and other perishable items.
A survey showed that a basket of tomatoes which sold for about N10,000 before the presidential election had drifted to about N7,000.
Mr Enyinaya Igwe, a trader, said that there would be continuous reduction in prices of perishable food items in the market because normal situation has returned to the market due to lack of violence after the elections.
For Mrs Grace Anyanwu, the calm political climate in the country would aid price reduction, adding that the tensed situation then was responsible for high cost of commodities.
“Most of the trucks that bring farm produce from the north that stayed away because of the tensed political climate have started arriving with goods”, she said.

Corlins Walter