Tomato and pepper cost more in major markets in Enugu metropolis, according to a weekend news agency report.
A News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) market survey shows that prices increased when compared to some months back.
A big basket of tomatoes sells for between N15, 000 and N16, 500 as against N7,000 and N8,000. This however depended on the species as there are presently two species in the market. The price of small basket of tomatoes cost between N10, 000 and N12, 000.
A tomatoes seller at Ogbete Market, Mrs Oby Ude, attributed the increase in price of tomatoes to its planting season.
“The UTC specie that comes from Jos is gradually becoming scarce in the market, Ude said. She attributed this to scarcity because of the planting period. The UTC specie sold for between N5,000 and N7,500 while other Benue specie sold for between N4,500 and N6,000.
Mrs Tina Aku, another tomato trader at Garki market, said that the price of tomatoes would further increase. She attributed this to the fact that the season of abundance is gradually disappearing.
Tomato prices tend to increase towards the month of May, said Mrs Chioma Ekeoma, a customer at Mayor Market. She urged government to build storage facilities for traders to preserve perishable items such as tomatoes, pepper and vegetables. This will make cost of tomato and pepper affordable and available to customers all year round, she said.
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