A wave of fresh harvests is cooling the price of several staples across Lagos markets, handing cash-strapped households a rare stretch of relief. Prices of yam, potatoes, plantain and tomatoes have dipped marginally across the city's major markets, tracking a broader slowdown in food inflation, according to BusinessDay.
The Numbers Behind the Relief
The easing follows a slowdown in headline food costs. Nigeria's food inflation eased to 19.57 per cent in August from 20.31 per cent in July, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics cited by BusinessDay. At the market level the swings have been sharp. A survey of Lagos hubs including Mile 12, Oyingbo and Idi-Oro found a large basket of tomatoes falling from about ₦85,000 to ₦48,000, a drop of roughly 43.5 per cent, while a large bunch of plantain slid from ₦9,500 to ₦5,000 and a medium bag of Irish potatoes eased from ₦35,000 to ₦22,000, according to Streamlinefeed.
Why Prices Are Falling
The turnaround is largely seasonal. Harvests from the northern regions are now flooding southern markets, reversing the scarcity that gripped the tomato trade earlier in the year when the Tuta absoluta pest and heavy rains cut supply, according to Streamlinefeed. Earlier in the season, flooding across major tomato-growing belts in Jos and Makurdi had pushed a basket of tomatoes from about ₦65,000 to as much as ₦150,000 in parts of the country, according to Hortidaily, which makes the current retreat all the more striking.
Not Every Shelf Is Cheaper
The relief is patchy. Even as tubers and vegetables retreat, onions and rice have seen sharp price rises, according to BusinessDay, a reminder that a good harvest for one crop does not lift every basket. Seasonal gains can also reverse quickly once the harvest window closes and dry-season supply thins.
FoodPrices Nigeria tracks verified retail prices for tomatoes, plantain, rice, onions and other staples across Lagos markets, the day-to-day measure of whether a harvest lull is genuinely easing the cost of a family meal.
#FoodInflation, #Lagos, #FoodPrices, #Harvest, #Tomatoes, #Onions, #Nigeria, #Staples, #Markets