Some residents of Lagos state have expressed concern over the soaring cost of tomatoes across the country, with many now turning to alternatives in response to the current economic challenges.
In separate interviews on Tuesday in Lagos, residents said the rising price of tomatoes had forced them to explore other options to prepare their meals.
A resident of the Amuwo area, Mrs. Olachi Iroha said she had switched to using palm kernel for stews due to the rising cost of tomatoes.
“Tomatoes are actually expensive now. If the price keeps going up, we’ll just stop buying them,” she said. “I recently bought a small paint bucket for N8,000 after much bargaining. If the situation continues like this, I’ll just use palm kernel stew, popularly known as ‘ofe akwu.’ There’s really nothing we can do about it. We’ll just buy what we can afford.”
Mrs. Temitope Babalola-Hodonu, a resident of the Alimosho area, said she hoped the price would come down soon, noting that the cost had risen significantly in recent weeks.
“I bought a mini basket over the weekend for N50,000. I felt terrible spending so much on what used to cost around N15,000 to N18,000 just weeks ago,” she said.
“Tomatoes aren’t even readily available in the markets, so I bought what I could find. I really hope the situation improves soon because not everyone can cope with the alternatives.”
A local food vendor, popularly known as Iya Adetoun, who operates in the Dopemu area, said the hike in tomato prices had severely impacted her business.
“We’ve not had it easy in the food business since this price increase. You can’t really use alternatives when cooking in large quantities,” she said. “A small bucket of tomatoes I used to buy for N6,000 or N7,000 now goes for N35,000. If this continues, it’ll be hard for us to stay in business.”
Mrs. Anne Odafe, a resident of Ago Palace Way, said she now relies on tin tomatoes to supplement the small quantity of fresh tomatoes she can afford.
“Fresh tomatoes are just too expensive right now, and what I can afford doesn’t meet my cooking needs,” she said. “N4,000 worth of tomatoes won’t go far. Some people even blend cucumbers with tomatoes to stretch the quantity. Personally, I just add more tin tomatoes than usual to make up for the shortfall.”
Another consumer, Mrs. Ifeoma Okoye, said she had started using vegetables like cucumber, spring onions, and cabbage as substitutes.
“The high cost of tomatoes is no longer funny, especially given the low purchasing power of most households,” she said. “I’m just waiting for the price to drop. Nothing else tastes quite like tomato stew.”
The price of a 50kg bag of tomatoes now sells for as much as N50,000 in northern markets, while the same quantity costs between N85,000 and N100,000 in Lagos and other parts of the South from late June to date.
