Rising costs of meat, fish, and chicken are forcing some Lagos households to cut consumption, adjust meal choices, and seek cheaper protein alternatives.

Some consumers now rely more on eggs, reduce meat portions, or prepare meals without meat, while traders attribute fluctuating prices to increasing operating and supply costs.

The traders and consumers spoke in separate interviews with journalists at Oyingbo, Ijora Olopa, Ikotun, and FESTAC markets on Sunday in Lagos.

Abubakar Sodiq, a mobile butcher, said beef prices had increased from N6,000 per kilogramme in August to N8,000 currently.

Mr Sodiq attributed the increase to rising fuel prices and the cost of purchasing cattle.

According to him, the cost of the portions increased from about N60,000 last year to between N100,000 and N120,000, sometimes reaching N130,000.

Another butcher at Oyingbo Market, Musa Danjuma, said a lap of meat now sells for between N30,000 and N45,000, depending on size.

He said the same size was sold for about N25,000 in August, while a neck portion currently costs N10,000.

Mr Danjuma described meat as scarce and expensive but said the price changes had not significantly affected his business.

At Ijora Olopa Frozen Food Market, Mahmoud Ganiyat, a chicken trader, said a carton of soft chicken currently sold for N41,000.

She said old layer chicken sold for N52,000, hard Orobo layer for N53,000, and old chicken for N54,000.

Ms Ganiyat said a carton of Orobo chicken, which was sold for N58,000 about two months ago, dropped to N50,000 two weeks ago. She said the price later rose to N53,000, attributing the fluctuations partly to exchange rate changes.

According to her, some customers reduce their purchases whenever prices increase, forcing her to cut stock purchases from 200 cartons to 150.

Akeem Abdullahi, another chicken trader, said a carton of fryer chicken currently sells for N39,000, compared with N41,000 to N42,000 the previous week.

He said a carton of hard Orobo chicken, which sold for N62,000 about two to three weeks earlier, now costs N52,000.

Mr Abdullahi attributed the price changes to supplier rates in Cotonou, adding that some customers bought half a kilogramme instead of a full kilogramme.

Kehinde Rofiat, another chicken trader at the market, said a kilogramme of chicken now sells for N5,500, compared with N6,500 previously.

She said a carton currently sells for N52,000, down from between N58,000 and N60,000. Ms Rofiat attributed the fluctuations to the absence of fixed prices, adding that some customers switched to fish when chicken became unaffordable.

On fish prices, Titilayo Balogun, a trader at Oyingbo Ultra-Modern Market, said some varieties had maintained relatively stable prices since January.

She said prices varied according to fish type and size, with kote selling for N95,000 per carton, N6,000 per kilogramme, and N4,000 per piece.

Ms Balogun said Titus sells for N90,000 per carton and N5,000 per kilogramme.

She attributed reduced patronage partly to the demolition of houses, which forced some residents to relocate to areas such as Ikorodu.

Ope Jakande, a panla seller at Oyingbo Market, said a carton of the fish had dropped from N70,000 in August and September to N60,000 currently.

She said, however, that transportation and other operational expenses remained major costs for traders.

On egg prices, Rokibat Hamzat, an egg trader at Ijora Olopa, said a crate of small eggs sold for N5,800, while big eggs cost N6,200.

She said a small egg sells for N200 and a big one for N250, adding that prices have remained unchanged in recent months.

Ms Hamzat said customers generally maintained their usual purchases, although patronage sometimes declined on certain days.

Williams Chinaza, another egg trader at Ijora, said a crate of eggs currently sells for N6,500, compared with about N7,000 a month ago.

She attributed the price changes to poultry feed, transportation, and supply costs.

For consumers, however, even modest price increases have meant making difficult choices about what goes into their daily meals.

Olayinka Oluwafemi, a graphic designer residing on Governor’s Road, Ikotun, said a piece of beef that previously cost N100 now sold for N200.

He said the increase had reduced his meat consumption by about 80 per cent, making him turn to eggs as an alternative protein source, with each costing between N200 and N250.

Similarly, Chidinma Samuel, a cosmetics seller at Isheri, FESTAC, said her family’s spending on meat had increased considerably.

She said the family now spends between N5,000 and N6,000, compared with N3,000 to N3,500 previously.

She said rising meat and fish prices sometimes force the family to prepare cheaper meals they would not ordinarily choose without meat.

Habeeb Opeyemi, another consumer, said he currently spends N5,500 on a kilogramme of chicken, compared with N6,500 months earlier.

He said he had not reduced his overall consumption because chicken prices sometimes declined.

A consumer, Adebanke Agbo of Akanro, Mushin, said she opts for eggs whenever she cannot afford meat or chicken.

Ms Agbo, however, said food items could no longer be considered cheap in Lagos markets.

She noted that despite slight reductions in the prices of some protein sources, many residents still struggled to afford them.

(NAN)