From Paul Osuyi, Asaba
Despite the spike in the prices of commodities, the popular Ogbogonogo Market in Asaba, Delta State, continued to witness a surge of customers in last-minute shopping for the Christmas celebration.
When our correspondent visited the market on Thursday, buyers were not deterred by the significant increase in the prices of foodstuffs.
A broiler (live chicken) that was sold between N5,000 and N6,000 was selling for over N10,000.
In the case of rice, the price hike was not up to 50% as a 50kg bag of Nigerian-produced rice that used to be sold for N23,000 was selling for N26,000 at the time of the survey.
Its foreign counterpart was being sold for N33,000.
The price hike also affected other commodities that complement chicken and rice for the sizzling celebration.
Mrs Tina Okafor told our correspondent that a basket of fresh tomatoes was N24,000, adding that ‘it may be higher by the time you come back tomorrow.
‘The small size of tin tomato is sold for N100, the medium size is N250 and the big size goes for N500.’
A big size of cabbage which was sold for N200 during the off-season was selling for N500.
Mercy Omorodion, a dealer in children’s clothes said the average cost of a baby’s wear is N5,500.
‘It’s twice what we sold last year. We bought it on the high side and had to adjust prices in order to make a profit,’ Mrs Omorodion said
Reacting, a buyer, Mrs Mary Okoh, lamented that seasoning products left a sour taste in the mouth due to their high prices.
On her part, Mrs Nneka Umoh denounced the seasonal price regime while Joan Umukoro described it as a prelude to low-key Christmas and New Year celebrations.
They however hinted that many families were not keeping away from shopping, having made advanced preparations, dug into their precious savings, or even borrowed to make the season memorable.