"Only For The Rich": Salary Earners, Households Cry Out as Bag of Rice Hits N55,000 in Nigeria
- Nigerians are lamenting the continuous increase in the cost of rice in the country
- There are indications that the price will be higher than before the year's end
- Some Nigerians say they are now seeking other alternatives as they can no longer afford rice
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The cost of rice has continued to soar in Nigeria, making it difficult for salary earners to meet up.
In different markets, a bag of Nigerian rice (50kg) now costs between N40,000 to N55,000, according to Legit.ng findings. This is up from N30,000 to N35,000, sold as of year-end in 2022.
Source: UGC
Foreign rice, however, costs more. A bag of foreign rice is sold between N45,000, N46,000 (small rice), and N55,000 (big rice) at a retail price, depending on the type.
As of the time of this report, some online stores also quote a 50kg bag of rice for N55,000.
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As Christmas approaches, however, there are indications that demand will further push the price higher.
Nigerians lament the rising cost of rice
In a chat with Rashidat Adio in Apapa, Lagos, she explains how a bag of rice has become almost impossible to acquire given the income level of her husband.
Given that her husband is a salary earner and she has yet to get a job to support her husband, she told Legit.ng that things have been quite challenging for the family.
Expressing how things have gone from bad to worse due to the hardship in the country, she said:
A bag of rice? Where do we want to get that? If we see a bag now, we will jump up. With the current economy, Rice is something we eat once in a week.
My husband earns less than N100,000 in salary as a driver in a company. Imagine removing almost half of the money to buy a bag of rice, how much will be left? Don’t forget that we have other bills to pay, the children’s school fees, house rent, and other bills are there. So how can we use half salary to buy rice?
Latifa Olamide, who lives around Berger, Lagos, shares a similar experience. According to Olamide, the cost of food now takes more than 50% of her salary, considering that she has to buy already cooked food most of the time due to the nature of her work.
Demonstrating how small the food was, Olamide said:
The day I gave up on rice was when I bought N1,500 cooked rice from the roadside, and the portion I was served made me question if I was begging for food.
Olamide, who usually leaves home early for work and returns late, buys her breakfast and dinner from roadside vendors. She said:
I have since learned my lesson. I would rather buy bread and beans with my money and still have some change left. Rice is now for rich people.
In a similar report by the Independent.ng, Smart Okojere, the breadwinner of a family of five, told the news platform that he has reduced the portion of food his family consumes to adjust to recent economic realities.
He said:
As it is now, I could not expediently afford to feed my family unlike before as the price is almost N1000. As it is now, we eat more beans because it is cheaper, but cook them on a charcoal stove to save gas.
He said most households have returned to the era when rice was eaten once a year in most homes.
He recalled that the reason why it was eaten once a year was because it was unaffordable by many and considered to be food for the rich.
With only about two months to Christmas, when more Nigerians buy and eat more rice, indications are clear that the price of the commodity will experience a further hike.
"Lagos N45,000/50kg": Nigerian States With Highest And Lowest Prices of Rice
The World Food Security Update revealed that at the end of July 2023, the prices of agricultural products, exports, and cereals spiked by 6%, 4%, and 10%, respectively, Legit.ng reported.
Also, the prices of maize and wheat increased to close at 12% and 14% at the end of July 2023.
Per the report, high food inflation was noticeable in most low-and middle-income countries, with inflation rates exceeding 5%. Africa, North America, Latin America, Southeast Asia, Europe, and Central Asia were affected the most, experiencing food price inflation of over 80% in real terms.
Source: Legit.ng
