The prices of food stuff at major markets in Ilorin, Kwara State Capital, a month and few days after Eid-fitri have been fluctuating. While the prices of foodstuff like yams, peppers and tomatoes have drastically reduced, that of Rice have remained high.

Traders at these markets have however lamented about low patronage of customers due to poor purchasing power of the customers.

Investigations carried out by The Herald reporters revealed that while prices of yams, peppers and tomatoes have drastically come down, that of rice is still high due to the Federal Government's ban on rice importation.

The prices of rice such as Mama Gold, Royal Stallion, Caprice, Mama Africa etc, all sell at the rate of N9200 from the previous N7000 to N8000. The markets visited included Emir's Market, New Market at Baboko and a super market at Agbo-Oba.

Speaking with the reporters, a pepper and tomatoes seller at Emir's Market, Mrs Raman Bilikis Aduke informed that prices of peppers and tomatoes come down early this month. She attributed that to the season. She specifically says that every march of every year, prices of peppers and tomatoes are always high, stressing that during festive periods, price of pepper and tomatoes are always high but they were higher than usual during this year's Ramadan and its aftermath.

She told reporters that though the prices of peppers and tomatoes have come down but they are very difficult to come by. These scarcities are attributed to BokoHaram crisis in the North East of Nigeria.

Due to dwindling rate of farming, due to the crisis, there are only little peppers and tomatoes available to traders who travel as far as the North to purchase, the commodities.

Little rainfall in the North also contributed to low farming activities in the North known as the food basket of the Nation. All these according to her contributed to the high scarcity of these categories of food stuffs.

Investigation revealed that prices of rice are yet to come down. A trader at Oja Tuntun, Baboko, Mrs Veronica Uzor told the crew that Federal Government's ban on rice importation probably affected the prices. For example, due to the ban on importation, the supply of rice in the market had drastically reduced because local production could not meet up with the excess demand.

On peppers and tomatoes, Mrs Ibrahim Fatimah, a pepper sellr at Oja Tuntun told reporter that the fluctuation of the peppers and tomatoes price are due to season. She cited an example that tomatoes which she sold at N500 now sell at N200.