Adedapo Adesanya
By Adedapo Adesanya
The latest price watch report released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed that there was a decrease in the price of major food items like eggs, beans, tomato, and yam in July 2019.
The figures recorded in its “Selected Food Price Watch (July 2019)’’ report of the commodities indicated that the average price of 1 dozen of Agric eggs medium size decreased year-on-year by 0.73 percent and month-on month by 5.45 percent to N468.31 in July 2019 from N495.32 in June 2019.
It noted that the average price of 1kg of tomato decreased year-on-year by 39.47 percent and month-on-month by 9.96 percent to N203.55 in July 2019 from N226.07 in June 2019.
Across the selected categories of beans, one kilogram of brown beans decreased by 4.56 percent month-on-month in July to sell for N327.18 and 20.40 percent year-on-year, while a kilogram of white beans dropped by 6.94 percent month-on-month to N289.78.
A tuber of yam dropped by 6.21 percent in July to sell for N170.85, despite selling for as high as N305 in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, indicating a 39.16 percent decrease year-on-year from what was recorded in July 2018.
The price of Rice (agric sold loose) saw a drop to sell at N314.56 per kilogram representing a change of 1.16 percent from June 2019 while it saw a year-on-year decrease of 3.25 percent compared to the same period last year.
Ofada rice, likewise saw a decrease of 1.62 percent to sell at N367.44/kg in the month of July, the food commodity also saw an 8.95 percent difference in what it cost in July 2018.
However, for a kilogram worth of local rice (sold loose), it saw an increase of 2.32 percent to sell for N277.38 in the month of July.
Imported rice, despite been one of the food commodities banned by the Federal Government but still purchase as a result of smuggling activities, sold for N356.1 per kg and saw a month-on-month increase of 0.93 percent but recorded a year-on-year decrease of 3.96 percent.
As for chicken feet and wings, both recorded decreases; as chicken feet sold for N663.03 per kilogram indicating a 4.41 percent decrease compared to its cost in June 2018, while chicken wings recorded a drop of 3.13 percent in July to sell at an average price of N877.13/kg.
Frozen chicken, on the other hand, increased by 1.73 percent month-on-month in July to sell for N1783.38 per unit, and 15.7 percent year-on-year.
With the premise of local production of milk been pushed by the Nigerian government, the bureau recorded that a single unit of evaporated milk sold for N157.14 representing a 0.12 percent increase month-on-month, while it showed a decrease of 5.19 percent compared year-on-year 2018.
Gari (white sold loose) increased by 4.42 percent in the month of July 2019 to sell for N151.73 per kilogram, while the year-on-year comparison indicated a 24.39 percent decrease. And as for the yellow gari, it was a different case as the price dropped to N154.05 showing that the price went down by 1.26 percent from June 2019 and 38.06 percent year-on-year basis in July 2018.
