The prices of rice, beans and groundnut oil have remained stable in most markets in Benin, Edo, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.
A survey by NAN at New Benin, Oba, Uselu, Ekiosa and Lagos markets revealed that a basket of tomatoes sold for about N6,000 depending on the freshness and the specie of the tomato.
A basket of rice go for a thousand Naira while a peak milk cup goes for a N100.
A kilogramme of frozen chicken is sold for N1,500, frozen turkey cost N1,600 while the price of a live chicken cost between N4,000 and N5,000, depending on the size.
A five-litre palm-oil goes for between N2,000 and N2,500, five litres of vegetable oil cost N2,500, while a paint measure of garri goes for N350.
But the price of a medium-sized yam tuber had also increased from N300 to between N400 and N500.
Some traders attributed the price increase to the season and transportation.
Madam Iyore Ugbede,a tomatoes seller, told NAN that prices of perishable food items, especially tomatoes was relatively cheap and stable despite the fact that it was their off-season.
“Am surprised that tomato did not increase this year. The sales are moving but not like Christmas sales.
“People buy more during Christmas season than Easter celebrations,” she said.
Mr David Ita, a meat seller, attributed the availability of agricultural products in the market to improvement of agriculture in the country.
He explained that the agricultural status of the country had improved, adding that Nigeria has more farmers compared to other countries.
Ita urged governments to continue with its various interventions in agriculture to make prices of food items affordable and available in the market.
