Prices of fruits have gone up in the country as a result of the on going Ramadan. Fruit is a major component of fasting, observed by Muslims during the month of Ramadan. Nigeria is a major player in fruit production.
Figures from the Food and Agriculture Organisation, indicate that as at 2007, the country produced about 73,000 tonnes of mango, which is about 2.6 percent of the world production. Nigeria is thus the eight largest producer of mango on the production table.
Other notable fruits produced in the country in high quantity are pawpaw in the citrus family, with Nigeria as the third largest producer, pineapples, and guavas.
Despite all these however, Nigeria is rarely mentioned when it comes to fruit export because most of the fruits produced in the country do not leave the farmland where they are planted, nor do they get outside the shores of the country.
An orange trader Mutiyat Balogun, who brings the commodity to Lagos from the neighbouring western states said Nigeria was not ready to export its fruits because majority of those planted in the rural areas do not get to the urban centres.
Wasted fruits
"Most of these fruits do not leave the farmlands because the roads are not good. We only buy fruits where we can get trucks to pack them. When you get to the interior parts, you will see many rotten fruits on the trees with birds pecking on them and others falling off. This is also discouraging farmers because they do not make profits from them. Most farmers are now cutting the trees in their farms for other produce," she said.
As a result, Mrs. Balogun said the prices are high especially in the urban areas, such as Lagos.
She also identified the method of transporting the product from the countryside to the city as cumbersome and wasteful.
"We lost most of the fruits that leave the farm to heat during transportation," she said. The government should help find a better means of transporting these fruits. Most of the fruits are also thrown away at the market if we don't get quick buyers for them. With all these problems there is no way the prices won't be high."
A survey conducted by NEXT showed that prices of fruits have recorded an increase due to high demand especially during the Ramadan season. A small orange goes for between N20 and N30, while four are sold for between N100 and N150.
A small pineapple which was sold for N50 last month now sells for between N80 and N120. A pineapple seller at the Berger market, Wasiu Sani said the rise in demand is responsible for the price increase.
"Most people who do not buy fruits are now buying because of the fasting period and this has increased the demand for fruits. That means we have to go to the market often to be able to supply them and the traders to will be travelling more often. Fruits are usually more expensive at this time because of the increase in demand," he said.
Mrs. Balogun said Nigeria will not be able to export fruits if government does not rehabilitate roads leading to the farms.
"The roads that lead to the farms are very important because if you cannot get them how do you export? The storage facility is also important especially for most fruits market because it will help us preserve them from getting spoilt. If we have all these facilities, we can then talk about exporting. Of what good is there to export when most of the fruits will get spoilt before getting to the final destination?" she asked
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