Some Nigerians in Ilorin have appealed to the Federal Government to establish a price control board to check the indiscriminate increase in prices of commodities, especially foodstuff.

A market survey conducted by reporters showed that prices of foodstuff have gone up, less than two weeks to the commencement of the 2011 Muslim Ramadan fast.

The survey showed that the price of rice has appreciated to N7,800 per 50kg bag from N6,800, while a bag of red beans now sells for N12,500 up from N11,500.

During the same period, the price for a bag of white beans increased from N10,500 to N11,500.

A carton of fish now goes for N11,400 as against the previous price of N4,200.

A medium-sized bag of semovita is now sold for N1,700  compared with the former price of N1,450, while the price of a 25-litre keg of groundnut oil and palm oil rose to N6,900 and N6,000 respectively.

Surprisingly, the price of pepper fell to N4,000 per bag from N15,000, though tomato price went up to N10,000 from N3,000 per basket.

Some traders at Ipata Market attributed the increase in foodstuff prices to the low patronage, high level of wastage and power outages.

Mrs Memunat Yahaya-Mohammed, a housewife, told our correspondent that the sharp price increase of foodstuffs made it impossible for a family of three to “manage with N5,000 worth of foodstuff’’.

She appealed to the government to assist the masses by moderating the sharp increase in the price of foodstuff by traders.

She said that the establishment of a price control board would help to reduce the current hardship experience by Nigerians and also check the activities of saboteurs of government effort.

Mrs Aminat Ishola said that the high price of staple foods had made it impossible for many Nigerians to afford three meals a day.