Reports from Kano, Kaduna and Katsina, states indicate that with the bumper harvest, prices of food items have normalize in some parts of the states while prices have remained high in certain areas.
Investigations revealed several factors influencing the varying prices of foodstuffs, impacting the purchasing power of ordinary citizens in these states.
In Kano State, the arrival of new harvests has led to a reduction in the prices of some food items.
A survey conducted in Kano State shows that the prices of grains have decreased, local rice is still costly due to its high demand with a bag attracting between N150, 000 and N170, 000, while a bag of maize is sold at N95, 000 against N105, 000 and a bag of millet has dropped from N90, 000 to N80,000 between.
A bag of Groundnuts previously sold at N200, 000 last month now attract between N150, 000 and N170, 000.
Malam Tanko Idris, a produce dealer, attributed the availability of products to bumper harvests, while a customer Ibrahim Ali, urged traders to refrain from hoarding food in an attempt to increase profits.
Another customer Musa Shanono expressed optimism that food prices would drop drastically before November. “When people don’t produce but consume more, there is bound to be a food shortage, and the economy will become weak,” he said.
In the same vein, prices of onions have increase in Kano, but prices of tomatoes have dropped significantly. A bowl and a measure of tomatoes now sold between N2, 000 and N2, 400 against the previous price of N3, 200 and N3, 500. However, a bag of onions is selling for N70, 000.
A trader, Abubakar Labaran, attributed the recent rains affected onion production, leading to a shortage in supply and a subsequent price increase, adding that “the successful tomato harvest resulted in surplus supply and decreased prices”.
On her part, Aisha Ali advocated the use of adequate storage systems to preserve perishable items like tomatoes during the harvest period to counter its scarcity in future, adding that the newly harvested crops have caused a 30 percent drop in foodstuff prices in markets.
In Kafanchan, Kaduna State some farmers in an interview attributed the fall in prices of food items to bumper harvests.
Amos Barnabas, a large-scale farmer, said farmers had begun harvesting their crops forcing food prices to come down.
Another farmer, Kambai Modecai, who welcomed the import waiver on food items by the Federal Government, was optimistic that food prices will further fall the coming months, noted that Nigeria is capable of feeding itself without opening its borders.
Ladi Gimba, a tomato seller, stated that tomatoes were now cheaper than at the beginning of the year, stressing that a basket of tomatoes previously sold at N35, 000 is now N22, 000. She added that a basket of tomatoes maintained its price of N17, 000 as was sold during the same harvest period in2023.
The Anchau weekly market in Kubau LGA of Kaduna State has witnessed stability of prices of agricultural commodities. Hybrid maize (white, red, and yellow) was selling for N85, 000 for 100kg bag, while local maize (white and yellow) was going for N75, 000 per 100kg bag.
Soybeans attract between N90, 000 and N95, 000 per 100kg bag, while Sorghum (short kaura and white) now goes for N82, 000 per 100kg bag. Price of Cowpeas (white and brown) per 100kg bag is between N160, 000 and N190, 000. Millet (Dauro) attracts N86, 000 per 100kg, and 80kg of Paddy rice is N60, 000, while milled rice is N40, 000 per 100kg bag.
In Kaduna city, residents expressed concerns that the reported reductions in food prices were not reflected in local markets.
Mas’ud Abubakar, a food items seller at the Kasuwan Barci market, stated that prices have remained the same for the past two weeks, with rice selling for N2, 400 per measure, beans at N2, 700, wheat at N1, 600, and garri at N1, 300.
Zahradeen Kabir, another food seller, noted an increase in some prices, selling rice for N2, 700 per measure, up from N2, 400.
A consumer Amina Mohammed shared that she recently bought rice for N2, 300 per measure, a slight reduction from the previous price of N2, 400. She however, noted that the prices of beans and corn flour remained unchanged, urging the government and stakeholders to make food more affordable.
In Katsina State, food prices remained high despite new harvests, while prices for perishable commodities have decreased. A 50kg bag of local rice now costs about N75, 600 against N83, 300. A 100kg of beans now sold N168, 000 against N200, 000 previously, depending on quality and market conditions. A measure of beans now sells for N4, 200 against the previous price of N5, 000.
But the price of millet has remained steady at between N85,000 and N100, 000 per 100 kg bag, while a 100kg bag of maize is selling for N92,000 with a measure costing N2,300 and above in many places.
A household, Yusuf Ibrahim described the situation as worrisome, despite the slight decrease in prices.
“I recently bought a bowl of local rice and beans for N4,500 and N4,200 respectively, down from N4,900 and N5,100 last month. It’s the harvest period, so the prices of food items will continue falling as new crops reach the markets,” he said.
Bala Mai-Doya, a yam dealer in Katsina, stated that they are still struggling with high prices. “Even if there is a reduction in price, it is not as much as expected,” he said
On her part, Grace Audu, a restaurant operator, said she suspended selling pounded yams due to the high cost of yams in the market. “It’s been a long time since I bought yam because of its high cost,” she said.
Abubakar Adamu, a perishables seller at Kasuwan Gwari, noted that the price of different baskets of tomatoes had drastically reduced, saying a big basket is now selling for N20,000 to N25,000 against the previous price of between N120,000 to N150,000. A small and medium basket, once sold for N40, 000 to N50, 000 is now N10, 000 and below.
Adamu attributed this reduction to bumper harvests during the rainy season. “Prices will continue to go down until everyone can afford to buy,” he said.
Abdulrahman Sani, a household leader, shared that a few months ago, he spent about N1,5000 to prepare a stew, but now he spends not more than N500 on vegetables for soup. “We are happy with this development because most families found it challenging a few months ago. We hope prices will keep coming down,” he said.
- Post-Election Unrest: Bamendjou Ruler Urges For Restraint - October 30, 2025
- Federal Government Pays Universities N2.3bn As Salary Arrears - October 30, 2025
- Lamido Denies Chairmanship Form At PDP HQ, Threatens Court Action - October 27, 2025