Why do food prices skyrocket during Ramadan?
said he has observed that the prices of pepper increase during the month. From his analysis, a basket of tomatoes sold for N7, 000 few weeks earlier, is now sold for N26, 000 as at the first day of Ramadan. A small sack of pepper now costs between N12, 000 to N13, 000 as against N6, 000 weeks earlier. Onions, which he said was between N8, 000 to N10, 000 has increased to N14, 000. He added that the traders blamed the price hike on cost of transportation.
However, a fruit seller along Maje Road in Tudun Wada, Zaria, Musa Bakano, said increase in prices of fruits during Ramadan occurs because they are mostly supplied from the Southern part of Nigeria.
“If you observe, the prices of fruits like watermelon is still the same because it is cultivated here, but prices of bananas and pineapples has increased because we get them from the South. A bunch of banana that we used to buy at N300 to N400 is now N650. We want the suppliers to reduce their prices, as this would allow people to patronise us, because the high price is driving our customers away,” Bakano said.
In Abuja, Adamu Mu’azu, a food seller said, “all food crops have their own season and after the season has ended, it begins to become scarce, so in circumstances where it has almost finished and Ramadan comes around, then they have to bring out the ones that have been stored away, since that is when the demand for it is highest and in turn, because of the scarcity, the price also increases. That is the reason behind the increase in prices of foodstuff. By the time the season comes round again, the prices would come done again, but it doesn’t necessarily have to do with the coming of Ramadan. This time Ramadan came when foods like potatoes and tomatoes are out of season.”
A 42-year-old provisions seller, Musa Adamu explained that there are certain items, such as milk, food oil and other provisions that go up in Ramadan. “This is from the sellers. They add the money just because they feel like it. They just tell you that it has increased with no concrete reason and they do this with foodstuff that they know has the most demand during fasting season. Even if it is available in abundance, they say that it is scarce. We used to buy a carton of milk for around N11, 000 but now it goes for around N14, 000,” he lamented.
“The rise in price comes from the sellers,” Basiru Bashar, a fruit seller also said. “When Ramadan comes, the prices should be crashed, not the other way round, to help our Muslim brothers and sisters. People even insult us when they come to buy fruits, due to the fact that the prices of these commodities don’t go up until Ramadan is in full swing and we feel very bad about it.”
Bashar pointed out that Ramadan is a month of mercy and the same mercy and pity should be shown to customers. If we sold our foods at a reasonable price in this month, it would show the Christian population how kind and merciful our religion is. “The market’s chairpersons also add their own gain. We used to buy fifty pieces of watermelon for N13, 000, but today it is going for N23, 000. If we don’t increase the prices we won’t make back our money. Also bear in mind, from the fifty, there might be spoilt ones too. We used to make up to N10, 000 in a day, but now all we make is N3, 000 to N4, 000 and that is on a good day.”
When contacted, Sheikh Ahmad Abubakar Mahmud Gumi, described the practice of raising the prices of food items and other essential commodities during the holy month of Ramadan as un-Islamic.
“Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was reported to have engaged in giving charity to the needy during the month of Ramadan, more than the way he did in other months,” Sheik Gumi said, adding that the month of Ramadan provides an opportunity for Muslims to give charity in order to earn Allah’s blessing and forgiveness and reducing prices of commodities that are in high demand is like Sadaqatul Jariyya (charity that yields reward even after death).
He further said “it is unfortunate that in Nigeria, instead of price reduction, we always experience price increase during Ramadan. People should fear Allah and make life easy for Nigerians during and after Ramadan. When I say people, I mean the big merchants down to the lowest trader, because they all have a role to play in this issue.”