BENIN CITY – Prices of some major foods have increased in Benin four days following the 2015 Presidential and National Assembly elections in the country.
Some of the affected food stuff included: beans, tomatoes, meat, yam, pepper, tin tomatoes, wheat, onions, ogbono, fish, melon, red and vegetable oils.
The prices had gone up few days to the elections before this new increment.
At Ikpoba Hill Market, a major market in Benin, a basket of tomatoes sold for N13,500 before the election has gone up to N15,000.
A bag of wheat now sells for between N12,000 and N15,000; a basket of pepper from N4,000 to N7,000, and a carton of fish from N12,000 to N15,500.
A big bag of beans has gone up to N17,000 up from N11,500.
Others are: N1,700 for a carton of tin tomatoes as against N1,200, a bag of rice from N7,500 to N8,500 while a moderate size tuber of yam goes for N300 from N150.
Mrs Faith Edosa, a tomato seller at Ikpoba hill market, told journalists that the development was due to the elections.
“Most customers came to buy in large quantities before the election and most food distributors have not brought their goods to the market.
Miss Destiny Obehi, a customer, said “we are still expecting food stuffs to come from the north and other parts of the country to the state.
“Most of the traders travelled to vote and have not returned; we believe that things will go back to their former prices before the end of the week”, she said.