Tomato pepper onion prices Nigeria are rising fast, forcing families to switch from fresh ingredients to cheaper meals like bean soup and tomato paste

Prices of staple cooking ingredients are climbing rapidly as tomato pepper onion prices Nigeria reach record levels. In Kano, a bowl of tomatoes now costs ₦5,000, red bell peppers ₦10,000, habanero peppers ₦3,500, and onions ₦2,500.

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At Yan Kaba market, a basket of tomatoes sells for as much as ₦70,000, while a bag of pepper is around ₦120,000.

Umar Ali, a trader at Zoo Road, is struggling to meet customer needs. “I had no choice but to buy these items, even though they’re very expensive. Honestly, this is not a good time to sell soup ingredients,” he said.

Soaring costs are forcing families to adjust their diets. “Fresh tomatoes and peppers are out of our reach. We’ve started using alternative ingredients like bean soup, which is cheaper,” said Bukar Zanna, a health worker at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital.

Others have completely removed stew from their meals. “I can’t keep buying at this rate. For now, we’ve removed stew from our menu,” said Abubakar Danzaria, who recently spent ₦7,500 on ingredients that lasted only three days.

Civil servant Musa GGA said his family now prepares dinner with dried Tatase and tomato paste. For lunch, they cook rice and beans with fried oil and ground pepper.

Many traders are opting out. “If they’re not sold quickly, they rot. It’s just not worth the risk anymore,” said Yushau Karaye, who no longer buys tomatoes.

Farmers blame the price surge on low supply caused by early season heat stress and high transport costs from production hubs like Zaria, Jos, and Gombe. Sani Danladi Yadakwari, chairman of the Tomato Outgrowers’ Association in Kano, expects supply to improve by September.

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Abdullahi Ringim, national president of the association, said over 500 farmers in Kano lost nearly 300 hectares of tomato crops last year due to pest attacks, costing them ₦17 billion. He noted that work is ongoing to introduce better, disease-resistant seeds.