By Abdullahi Lukman
Traders and consumers in Lagos have expressed concern over the sharp increase in the price of ginger, attributing the surge to insecurity in major producing communities, reduced supplies, and rising transportation costs.
The development, which traders said has intensified in recent months, has made the widely used spice increasingly unaffordable for many households, with significantly lower volumes of ginger reaching Lagos markets.
Speaking on Sunday, the Public Relations Officer of Oyingbo Market, Ademola Oduyemi, said insecurity in farming communities had disrupted cultivation and harvesting activities, preventing many farmers from accessing their farms.
According to him, the shortage has driven prices to record levels, with a paint bucket of ginger now selling for between N40,000 and N46,000, while half a bucket costs between N22,500 and N23,000. A derica measure sells for about N12,000, while individual pieces are sold for as much as N500.
Oduyemi added that rising transportation costs and growing demand have further worsened the situation. He noted that prices could stabilise if security improves and farmers are able to return to their farms.
Other traders echoed similar concerns. Florence Akinfolubi, a ginger dealer at Oyingbo Market, said supplies from producing states had dropped considerably, while transportation expenses from northern Nigeria to Lagos had continued to rise.
Another trader, Abdullahi Musa, said increasing consumer demand, driven largely by the perceived health benefits of ginger, was putting additional pressure on already limited supplies.
At Lawanson Market, spice dealer Iyabo Daleko said traders were struggling to sustain their businesses as procurement and transportation costs continued to climb, forcing many customers to purchase
smaller quantities.
Consumers also lamented the rising prices. Janet Madueke described the situation as frustrating, noting that a small piece of ginger now sells for about N1,000 in her neighbourhood in Surulere.
Similarly, Funmilayo Ogunleye said the price of ginger had nearly doubled compared to earlier in the year, compelling her to reduce consumption, while Adewale Balogun said escalating costs had significantly reduced the quantity households could purchase with the same amount of money.
Ginger is widely used across Nigerian households for cooking, beverages and traditional remedies. It is produced mainly in Kaduna, Nasarawa, Niger and Plateau states before being distributed to markets nationwide.
Data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed that Nigeria’s ginger exports fell by 74 per cent to N6.28 billion in the first nine months of 2024, compared with N23.76 billion recorded during the corresponding period of 2023.
Industry stakeholders have linked the decline to disease outbreaks that affected ginger farms in major producing states, including Kaduna and Kano.
The Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Aliyu Abdullahi, disclosed that ginger farmers have lost more than N12 billion to the epidemic since 2023.
Residents warned that continued increases in the prices of food items and spices could worsen the cost-of-living challenges facing households.
They urged government authorities to strengthen security in farming communities, improve agricultural production, address transportation challenges and enhance food distribution systems to help stabilise prices.
NAN
