The Digest:
Lagos residents are grappling with soaring tomato prices, prompting many to seek affordable alternatives. With the cost of fresh tomatoes becoming increasingly burdensome, citizens are turning to substitutes like palm kernel and tin tomatoes to make ends meet. This shift highlights the growing economic strain faced by families and small businesses.
Key Points:
- Tomato prices have skyrocketed, with some buying a mini basket for N50,000.
- Residents, including home cooks, are opting for alternatives like palm kernel stew or tin tomatoes.
- Food sellers, like Iya Adetoun, face crippling costs, buying small buckets of tomatoes for N35,000.
- Others mix cucumbers or spring onions to stretch their stew.
- The price surge has affected food businesses, including street vendors.
- The North sells 50kg of tomatoes for N50,000, while Lagos prices are between N85,000 and N100,000.
- Many residents hope for a price drop as the financial pressure grows.
- Some resort to blending cucumbers with tomatoes to enhance stew quantity.
Lagos residents are turning to creative solutions in response to skyrocketing tomato prices, but the continued surge highlights the dire economic challenges many are facing. It is uncertain how long these alternatives will last before more people feel the strain.
Sources: Vanguard
