From garri to tomatoes to rice, prices have spiked. Transporters blame fuel and spare parts; farmers mention insecurity and inputs; traders point to FX and storage. As a household, SME or caterer, how are you coping?
Please share what you are seeing on ground across Mile 12, Onitsha, Kaduna and local markets nationwide. Which substitutions, buying cycles or cooperatives keep costs manageable? Any proven methods for bulk-buying and storage that reduce waste?
Community prompts
• Where are the cheapest, reliable sources?
• What’s the real impact of transport and diesel?
• Practical home storage hacks (grains, vegetables, meats)
What is pushing prices: It is a stack: diesel and spare parts push transport up; insecurity disrupts farm output and logistics; FX volatility hits imported inputs (fertiliser, packaging); plus post-harvest losses from heat and poor storage. Traders pay more to hold inventory, so they mark up quickly.
Practical coping tactics: Shift to seasonal menus and substitutes (e.g., local rice/beans mixes, sweet potato for yams during spikes). Buy grains and oil in co-ops; negotiate “market day” timing when supply is fresh and prices dip. For perishables, blanch and freeze vegetables in labelled portions; for grains, use airtight containers with desiccant and simple palletisation to avoid moisture. Track a price book across 2–3 markets; you will spot predictable weekly dips. If you run a canteen/catering SME, pre-sell set menus to lock demand and buy exactly to orders; publish small surcharges transparently when diesel or transport rises above a threshold so customers understand.