Business activities at Dawanau Grains Market in Kano
It was also gathered that prices of Sugar, vegetable oil and other food items have also gone high. Some days before the fasting season, some items recorded a slight fall in price only to escalate during the fasting period. A grains merchant in the state, Alhaji Umar Uba Maiwa blamed these on lack of a control mechanism where prices will be monitored. He added that the Dawanau business community had never had such an experience where there is stable up-scaling in price of food commodities throughout the year, irrespective of harvesting season or otherwise. “This trend, we learnt, was as a result of the federal government’s policies on importation and forex. Food produced in Nigeria is now being consumed by Nigerians and even smuggled out to neighbouring countries,” Dawanau said.
Stable price in some parts of Kaduna
Reports show prices of goods have not skyrocketed contrary to what usually happens during Ramadan period. In Bakin Dogo and Chechenia markets, traders smile to the bank as customers troop the market to purchase one item or the other for Ramadan fasting. Here, a measure of beans costs between N400 to N500, a measure of guinea corn, N280, a bag of foreign rice, N17, 500, a 10 liter jerry can of palm oil, N12, 500, and a 25 liter jerry can of turkey oil, N13,000.
Prices of other items include a 25 liter jerry can of pure groundnut oil, which costs N17, 000 while a bottle goes for N400. Also, a small basket of potatoes costs N2, 000, sweet potatoes, between N500 to N700. A small basket of tomatoes costs N1, 500, small pepper costs N1, 500, big pepper, N2, 000 and onions, N800.
A trader, Abubakar Sadiq attributed the hike in prices of some goods to hoarding because most of the big time marketers buy a lot of goods and hoard them. He called on the government to ensure the marketing boards are working, with a view to ending price hike, especially during the month of Ramadan. “If the government can get a system where no one is allowed to increase the prices of goods to a certain level, it will go a long way in helping the commoners, especially with the present cash crunch in the country.”
However, another trader, Abubakar Muazu said business has increased since Ramadan fasting commenced. “Before the Ramadan, I normally sell two bags of millet in one week, but with the fasting sales has increased and I sell up to five bags in a week. I want to commend the state government for paying workers’ salaries on time, because most of my customers told me that their salaries had been paid and that is why they are able to shop for the fasting. If they had not been paid, sales would have been poor and Ramadan would have been gloomy.”
Between Ramadan and scarcity in Lagos
The prices of foodstuffs, provisions, fruits and other edibles have considerably gone up in Lagos. While some Lagos residents blame the hike on Ramadan, a market survey by Daily Trust proves otherwise.
A foodstuff seller said the prices of foodstuffs rose before the Ramadan fast. The trader said prices of fruits, the most common item consumed by fasting Muslims, has however remained the same.
Mallam Aliyu, an orange fruit seller noted that the price of oranges, a week or two before Ramadan, had been constant. He admitted that prices of oranges, is at present on the high side, but the hike, he said, is due to inadequate supply to the market. Oranges sold for N50, a few months earlier, is now sold for N50 per one or two for N50.
Abubakar, who sells watermelon, also confirmed the prices of the fruit went up before Ramadan. Some watermelon sellers cut N200, N100 and a few cut N50-sized pieces.
A dealer in household beverages, Jude, noted that of all the items with a price increase, milk, both powdered and evaporated, are the most expensive at the moment. But, a Peak milk supplier, Mr Muyideen Aro, denied any price increase during Ramadan. “If there is any increase in the price of milk, it is the market women that are responsible for it. It is not from the milk company. The reason they are increasing the prices of foodstuffs is because demand is more than supply during the fasting period.”
A pepper and tomato seller, Mallam Jubril said he has observed that the prices of pepper increase during the month. From his analysis, a basket of tomatoes sold for N7, 000 few weeks earlier, is now sold for N26, 000 as at the first day of Ramadan. A small sack of pepper now costs between N12, 000 to N13, 000 as against N6, 000 weeks earlier. Onions, which he said was between N8, 000 to N10, 000 has increased to N14, 000. He added that the traders blamed the price hike on cost of transportation.
However, a fruit seller along Maje Road in Tudun Wada, Zaria, Musa Bakano, said increase in prices of fruits during Ramadan occurs because they are mostly supplied from the Southern part of Nigeria.
“If you observe, the prices of fruits like watermelon is still the same because it is cultivated here, but prices of bananas and pineapples has increased because we get them from the South. A bunch of banana that we used to buy at N300 to N400 is now N650. We want the suppliers to reduce their prices, as this would allow people to patronise us, because the high price is driving our customers away,” Bakano said.
Seasonal crops
In Abuja, Adamu Mu’azu, a food seller said, “all food crops have their own season and after the season has ended, it begins to become scarce, so in circumstances where it has almost finished and Ramadan comes around, then they have to bring out the ones that have been stored away, since that is when the demand for it is highest and in turn, because of the scarcity, the price also increases. That is the reason behind the increase in prices of foodstuff. By the time the season comes round again, the prices would come done again, but it doesn’t necessarily have to do with the coming of Ramadan. This time Ramadan came when foods like potatoes and tomatoes are out of season.”
A 42-year-old provisions seller, Musa Adamu explained that there are certain items, such as milk, food oil and other provisions that go up in Ramadan. “This is from the sellers. They add the money just because they feel like it. They just tell you that it has increased with no concrete reason and they do this with foodstuff that they know has the most demand during fasting season. Even if it is available in abundance, they say that it is scarce. We used to buy a carton of milk for around N11, 000 but now it goes for around N14, 000,” he lamented.
“The rise in price comes from the sellers,” Basiru Bashar, a fruit seller also said. “When Ramadan comes, the prices should be crashed, not the other way round, to help our Muslim brothers and sisters. People even insult us when they come to buy fruits, due to the fact that the prices of these commodities don’t go up until Ramadan is in full swing and we feel very bad about it.”
Bashar pointed out that Ramadan is a month of mercy and the same mercy and pity should be shown to customers. If we sold our foods at a reasonable price in this month, it would show the Christian population how kind and merciful our religion is. “The market’s chairpersons also add their own gain. We used to buy fifty pieces of watermelon for N13, 000, but today it is going for N23, 000. If we don’t increase the prices we won’t make back our money. Also bear in mind, from the fifty, there might be spoilt ones too. We used to make up to N10, 000 in a day, but now all we make is N3, 000 to N4, 000 and that is on a good day.”
When contacted, Sheikh Ahmad Abubakar Mahmud Gumi, described the practice of raising the prices of food items and other essential commodities during the holy month of Ramadan as un-Islamic.
“Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was reported to have engaged in giving charity to the needy during the month of Ramadan, more than the way he did in other months,” Sheik Gumi said, adding that the month of Ramadan provides an opportunity for Muslims to give charity in order to earn Allah’s blessing and forgiveness and reducing prices of commodities that are in high demand is like Sadaqatul Jariyya (charity that yields reward even after death).
He further said “it is unfortunate that in Nigeria, instead of price reduction, we always experience price increase during Ramadan. People should fear Allah and make life easy for Nigerians during and after Ramadan. When I say people, I mean the big merchants down to the lowest trader, because they all have a role to play in this issue.”
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