Chairman Of Mile 12 Market, Reveals Reasons Why Food Prices Are Going Up

• “There is also insecurity. For instance Maiduguri we used to have dry pepper from Maiduguri that covers up this scenario but if you don’t have tomato, you go for the dry tomato, you go for dry things.

The Chairman of the popular Mile 12 International Market in Lagos, Shehu Jubril, has given an insight into what exactly is causing the hike in food prices, when he sat down with the women of Your View on TVC on Wednesday.

When asked why food prices have skyrocketed in Lagos between year 2020 and 2021, he  said flood had been a major cause of shortage in food supply since last year.

According to him, “We experienced this thing (prices going up) last year too because of flood. Last year was a terrible year for us, the flood has taken so many things and what we are expecting to get from the North, we couldn’t get it as much as possible. By now we should be able to have Northern tomatoes, onions – we have onions – but tomato, pepper doesn’t come from core North – I’m talking Kano, Kaduna, and all those places that have it abundantly. It is seasonal. We need to have it up to this time, like maybe January, February, March, April, May, June up till July. August even.

“We have experienced a lot of harvest loss. Usually when you have such situation, you need to get the cover-up from the southern crops which is from Odoba, from Benin Republic, from Cameroon but those ones too are not coming. It’s not time for them to come because we have shorter time from the north. It’s supposed to be like 6, 7 months (how much time food from the North is supposed to last) but this time, we only have it like 4 months. So we have a shortage of it. (Normally), at the time we have the Northern ones going (out of season), we expect the Southern ones to be coming in.”

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He also added that insecurity has also had a major effect on food supply which has subsequently affected food prices.

“There is also insecurity. For instance Maiduguri we used to have dry pepper from Maiduguri that covers up this scenario but if you don’t have tomato, you go for the dry tomato, you go for dry things. Those are the things that come from Maiduguri but almost half of the farmers in Maiduguri are not farming, you can see where they are – they’re displaced. Even the core Northern farmers are facing challenge of insecurity. You and I know what they’re facing. They go to farm, they get killed. They’ll be asked for ransom to even curtail what they have in the farm.

“Lagos doesn’t have a problem of food. It’s better that you even have it at a higher price than not having it at all. We’re talking about food. You must eat. You’re drinking tea now, you have everything so it’s easier for you here with much money that you have than to not have anything.”

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