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Lagos residents have decried the rising price of tomatoes, which has forced many households into adopting cheaper alternatives like tomato paste, cucumbers and palm nuts.
Some residents, in interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said the recent surge in tomato prices has disrupted their household meal plans.
A market survey revealed that a 50kg basket of tomatoes now sells between N115,000 and N125,000, compared to between N35,000 and N40,000 recorded in April 2026.
Olachi Igwe, a resident of Ago Palace, said the scarcity and high cost of tomatoes have disrupted her household’s meal plans.
Igwe said her tomato vendor told her that tomatoes have become scarce and difficult to source. She said this scarcity and the high cost have forced her family into relying on palm nut stew.
“A small bowl we used to buy for between N3,500 and N4,000 now sells for as high as N6,000 to N7,000, when available,” said Igwe.
“For now, my family will resort to palm nut stew (ofe akwu) until prices stabilise.”
Mercy Okeleye, a resident of Festac, said that although her family prefers fresh tomatoes, rising prices have forced her to consider cheaper options.
“I cannot do without fresh tomatoes because of the taste, but I may have to buy broken ones, popularly called ‘esha’, which are relatively cheaper. I do not consider tomato paste a suitable substitute because it is not purely made from tomatoes,” she said.
Tope Babalola, a resident of Dopemu, said she has not bought tomatoes in over a month and might adjust her cooking methods if prices remain high.
“I have not bought tomatoes in over a month, but if the price is still high, I will use more onions and peppers. I will not resort to artificial additives; I prefer natural ingredients for my meals,” she said.
Joan Ogugua, another resident, said she switched to tomato paste.
“I asked my son to buy tomato paste for our meals. I cannot justify spending excessively on fresh tomatoes when other basic needs must be met,” she said.
Oge Ugwu, a civil servant who resides in Lekki, said she would resort to cucumber stew with the recent price hike.
