Food prices continue to crash in Plateau as buyers celebrate, traders count losses

…Govt attributes drop to boost in local production

Plateau State’s markets are witnessing an unusual twist—one that has brought wide smiles to buyers and deep worry lines to sellers. Across the Jos metropolis, food prices have in recent time plunged to levels not seen in recent years, transforming the shopping experience for thousands but dealing heavy blows to traders who now struggle to recover the cost of goods they bought or produced at higher prices.

BusinessDay’s investigation shows a clear pattern: markets flooded with food, prices falling sharply, buyers celebrating unexpected relief, and traders lamenting massive losses. From Building Materials market to Taminus and Farin Gada, the story is the same—supply is high, prices are down, and the market is in a state of mixed emotions.

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A market overflowing with food

When BusinessDay visited Building Materials market in Jos South, traders sat beside heaps of tomatoes and pepper, their colours bursting with freshness. Nearby, sacks of grains lined the walkways, and customers were seen circling stalls with baskets, bags, and eager expressions.

A custard rubber of tomatoes now sells for ₦2,500, down from ₦5,500 last year. A custard rubber of pepper goes for ₦3,500, a steep fall from ₦6,000. A mudu (a traditional unit of measurement commonly used in Nigeria) of rice sells for ₦900–₦1,200, depending on the quality, compared to ₦2,000–₦2,800 last year, while a mudu of beans now costs ₦1,100, down from ₦2,500.

This crash is significant not only for its magnitude but also for its speed. Many traders admitted they did not expect the market to swing this way within a year.

Sandra Ibrahim, a tomato and pepper seller who has been in the trade for years, explained the situation.

“There are so many products in the market this year. Farmers harvested plenty, and the supply is more than what customers can buy. That is why the prices have come down drastically we started experiencing this about three months ago”; she said.

But behind her calm delivery lies the pain most traders now face.

The pain behind the abundance

While buyers cheer the price crash, sellers are far less enthusiastic. Many of them are losing money—big money.

The reason is simple: the cost of production this year was extremely high, and most traders bought their goods when prices were still at their peak.

Taminus and Farin Gada tell the same story

At Taminus market, traders echoed the same concerns. Food items were stacked high on tables and in wheelbarrows, with buyers moving from stall to stall comparing prices.

But behind the laughter and bargaining was an undertone of frustration.

An aged woman, Mama Aliyu, who sells beans, told BusinessDay that the collapse in prices was expected once harvests peaked, “but not at this level, and not this fast.”

“For example, a mudu of beans is now ₦1,100- ₦1,400, depending on the quality as against 2,100- 2,800 last year”; Aliyu said

In Farin Gada market, one of the largest produce hubs in the state, buyers flooded in, thrilled by the affordability they had not seen in recent years. Tomatoes, peppers, carrots, grain, and leafy vegetables were displayed in abundance.

Mary Pam, a longtime seller of rice, beans and other grains in Farin Gada, reiterated what her colleagues said.

“The prices have come down everywhere. This is good for those buying, but we are losing. Many of us took loans. How do we pay back when what we sell cannot cover even the cost of transport?”

Her worry is shared by dozens of traders who spoke with BusinessDay.

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Why prices crashed

BusinessDay’s findings reveal that the price crash has several key causes including pumper harvest, increased movement of goods, government agriculture support and determination to crash food prices, and market competition.

Buyers rejoice

For consumers, the development is nothing short of a blessing. After months of battling skyrocketing inflation, many Plateau residents are finally able to buy food in reasonable quantities

A mother of three at Taminus market who simply gave her name as Nancy said: “Now I can cook without borrowing. Last year, rice and tomatoes were like gold. Today, we thank God. At least we can breathe.”

Civil servants, students, and low-income earners who previously reduced their food budgets are now shopping more confidently.

Food traders selling cooked meals also say business has picked up as ingredients are cheaper.

Government’s food security push: success or strain?

In a recent interview with BusinessDay, Ishaku Bugama, commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, said that the Plateau State Government has championed food security as a central policy priority.

Bugama noted that agriculture interventions in recent years have focused on boosting local production, supporting farmers with seedlings and fertilizers, improving access roads, engaging cooperatives, enhancing farming security.

“We have gone into mechanisation with both handheld tools, tractors, and all of that to help ease agriculture for our farmers. Our intention is not just to increase yield per hectare but to also increase access to land so that agriculture will improve, both in qualitative and quantitative terms.

“We have also launched a portal for the Plateau Input Distribution System where farmers will receive text messages that will help them to go and redeem subsidies and inputs given to make farming much more efficient”.

These efforts appear to have contributed to this year’s abundant harvest but the price crash also highlights deeper structural issues: lack of storage facilities, absence of processing industries weak loan repayment support for traders inadequate cold-chain systems poor financial cushions for small businesses. Without addressing these issues, bumper harvests may continue to translate into losses for traders rather than stable prosperity.

Can Plateau sustain affordable food without hurting traders?

If irrigation farming, cold rooms, and product processing are not scaled up, Plateau will continue to experience boom-and-bust food cycles—good for buyers sometimes, terrible for traders often.

A sustainable system would ensure that farmers and traders earn fair profit, consumers enjoy stable prices, government interventions balance both sides.

Plateau State markets today paint a vivid picture of abundance mixed with distress—buyers celebrating their newfound affordability and traders mourning heavy losses.

The food price crash has exposed both the strengths and weaknesses of Plateau’s food system. While government interventions may be improving production, inadequate storage and price stabilization mechanisms means traders bear the brunt of market volatility.

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As tomatoes, pepper, rice among others sell at historic lows, one thing is clear: food is plenty, but profit is scarce. And unless the system is strengthened, this bittersweet moment may become a recurring cycle of joy for buyers and heartbreak for sellers.

FG attributes drop in food prices to boost in local production

Meanwhile, the Federal Government has attributed the recent decline in food prices across the country to improved local production, enhanced agricultural interventions, and the onset of the harvest season.

Aliyu Abdullahi Sabi, Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, stated this recently in Abuja during activities marking World Food Day (WFD), explaining that the ongoing price adjustment reflects the results of sustained Government investment in the sector.

Sabi said the large-scale implementation of the National Agricultural Growth Scheme (NAGS) Agro-Pocket Programme, launched in 2023, had significantly boosted production of key staples such as wheat, maize and cassava.

“From 2023, we went into massive production through the NAGS Agro-Pocket Programme. We injected almost 500,000 metric tons or more of wheat, including maize, cassava, and other commodities we promoted. This ramped-up production is what’s responsible for the drop in food prices,” he said.

Addressing speculations that the Government imported food to crash prices, the minister clarified that the import window opened last year was only a temporary measure to bridge production deficits, not to distort the local market.

“Government only allowed a limited import window to bridge the deficit. But I can tell you for a fact that the imported items have not even been released. The claims that imported food is what crashed prices are not true,” he added.

Sabi also noted that panic among food hoarders contributed to the market correction, as fears of potential imports prompted them to release stored commodities, thereby increasing supply and stabilising prices.