Some residents of Abuja and its environs yesterday decried the high cost of food stuff in markets as the yuletide season approaches.

Most of them spoken to say the prices of staple food such as rice, beans and garri amongst others, have increased astronomically.

At Nyanya market, buyers interviewed said the price of a small bowl (mudu) of garri has increased from N80 to N120. They said a small bag of rice that sells for N6,000, now goes for N7,000. The price of bean in the market had also increased by 100 percent and most local food vendors in the area removed beans meal from their menu.

Our reporter also observed that the price of onions has increased as she was offered a very tiny one to buy for N20.

At Mararaba Market, a trader, Mallam Ali Usman said a big bag of rice that usually sells for N7,000 now costs N10,000 while the cost of other staple food have equally gone up. He attributed the price hike to the fact that new produce are yet to be harvested, adding that the approaching festive season is also partly responsible.

Another trader, Musa, said the high cost of food stuff is due to the non-availability of fuel, which has made transportation of goods by traders to markets very expensive. He appealed to government to address the current fuel scarcity being experienced in the FCT.

Soji, another trader, blamed the flood that affected some communities in the country as the cause of food shortages.