With less than a week to the Eid al-Adha celebrations scheduled for June 6, 2025, residents of Kano are voicing concern over the sharp rise in the prices of essential food items, particularly spices and vegetables.
Shoppers at Rimi Market say the price hike is affecting their ability to prepare adequately for the festival.
Ramlah Labaran Tanko, a regular buyer of spices, explained that a mudu of ginger now costs N32,000, and she could no longer afford cloves and black pepper.
“Cloves start from N200 per pack, and there aren’t more than 10 in a pack. We use a lot of spices during Sallah to prepare meat.
I normally buy a lot — but now I can’t afford it,” she said.
Similarly, Hafsat Aliyu Buhari expressed frustration over vegetable prices, saying she used to spend N500 to cook stew for her family of four, but now spends at least N1,000 even with intense bargaining.
Ibrahim Aminu, a family man shopping for meat and condiments, lamented the dual strain of high ram prices and unaffordable spices.
“The pack I usually buy for N1,000 has drastically reduced in size,” he said.
Vendors at the market, however, attribute the price hike to supply shortages rather than the upcoming Eid.
Malam Adamu, a vegetable seller, explained that reduced produce availability is the primary cause of the surge.
“It won’t be good for us to raise prices when majority of people are battling economic challenges,” he said.
Dr. Abdulnasir Turawa Yola, an economist at the Federal University of Dutse, said festive periods naturally see price hikes due to increased demand.
As Eid al-Adha nears, many families in Kano are cutting down on their festive plans due to high inflation and limited purchasing power.
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