Expensive Xmas

Today, like every other Christmas in the past, is a day for celebrations and festivities. In future, it will be the same. As in all celebrations, huge sum of money is spent on food, drinks, gifts, dresses and other things.

For most families, rice is top on the shopping list for consumables. Also, rice is top of the family menu for the season. Whether the family is rich or poor, it does not matter. Indeed, even if the family cannot afford three square meals a day, rice must be eaten on Christmas Day.

In the past, rice was mainly eaten two times in a year: on Easter Sunday and Christmas or New Year’s Day and only rich families afforded to have the food at all the festivals. Indigent children and the underprivileged used to visit homes of the affluent in order to savour a plateful of this all-important meal.

But times have changed the place and importance of rice in the list of must-buys for Xmas. Even casual observation gives proof that rice is major issue and factor in the season. People use it as gift and food. To find out exactly the quantity of rice Nigerians would consume this season, Saturday Sun went to town to investigate. We spoke with a rice importer, who revealed that he ordered for a shipload of rice that is about 5,000 metric tones or about 500,000 50kg bags.

He also said he is sure five shiploads were Lagos bound before this month. With such shipment, it means that 2.5m bags of rice came into Lagos alone. This is different from the ones that come in through the land borders, like Seme and Idiroko, etc. if this is added, it is estimated that at least four million bags of rice arrived Lagos this season, from where other cities would get consignment. At the current price of an average N7,500 per bag, Nigerians through the Lagos axis will cough out N30billion on rice alone this time.

Definitely, Christmas is not only about rice. Rice is prepared with some condiments, such meat, tomatoes, oil and spices etc. An importer of frozen poultry told Saturday Sun she got a consignment of 100,000 cartons of both turkey and chicken parts. At this time of the year, a carton of frozen turkey/chicken sells for an average of N6,000. From this importer’s shop alone, Nigerians in Lagos would make purchases amounting to N600million on the meat. She also noted that there are so many such importers in town. With a casual estimation and a figure she dropped, there are at least 20 importers that bought in a minimum of such quantity for Christmas and New Year. That will give a total spending on turkey/chicken at N12billion. Adding imported groundnut/vegetable oil, tomatoes, and salad stuffs to the estimated expenditure for Christmas, from the Lagos market, to about N45billion (rice and poultry)

It is common knowledge that rice comes into Nigeria through some other ports, like Abonema in Port Harcourt, Calabar and Warri ports and some land borders. That might contribute to about half of the quantity that comes in through Lagos or about N12billion to N15billion worth of consignment. So, within the season, Nigeria may cough out a bill of N60 billion on imported food items alone to make the celebration what it is expected to be.
Our call at the livestock markets proved revealing also, despite the fact that, there is no regulated system to get a figure of the number of cattle, goats, rams, locally produced turkey, chicken and others that get to the markets and ultimately the pots and tables of Nigerians this time. But for sure, these are factors worth taking note of, including fresh tomatoes that is procured solely in Nigeria, onions, pepper, palm oil and food spices. The bill does not include that on drinks – beer and non-alcoholic drinks. When put together, Christmas spending on food may hit a staggering bill not less than about N80billion.

However, unlike last year, many people may celebrate this yuletide without their favourite meal. A retailer at the Maza Maza area in Lagos, Mr. Paulinus Njoku, said sales during this period in 2009 was better because apart from the fact that a bag of 50 kg rice sold for N9,000, as against the current price of N7,500, many people bought rice for the festival. He attributed the high level of patronage to the exit of Prof. Chukwuma Soludo as governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the influx of Nigerians in the Diaspora, the high exchange rate of the dollar to the naira and the general situation of the economy. He argued that things are different this year, as sales is low due to what he called economic downturn and global recession, situations he said reduced the buying power of most people.

The retailer disclosed that last year he had sold over 50 bags of rice before December 20, lamenting that currently he had not sold up to 20 bags. Asked whether every brand costs the same, he said no, revealing that the cost of rice depends on the brand name. For instance, Aroso, premium parboiled, Royal Stallion, Saara from China, American or Thailand products have various price tags.

Njoku, however, expressed hope that with political campaigns around the corner, some politicians would come for rice, as a major item for wooing the electorate. He expressed optimism that volume of sales would peak in a few weeks’ time when there would be increased political activities.
The trader is not alone in his misery. Lamenting about the situation, a driver with the Young Shall Grow Motors, called Olokoro, said ferrying rice from Lagos to the eastern part of the country always brought extra income to transporters. According to him, desperate passengers would pay a reasonable amount to get the commodity home, which translates to a major source of income for the drivers mainly.

Checks at the Alaba Rago market, a suburb of Lagos, showed that a 50 kg bag costs N7,050, while at the popular Otto market near Ijora, a bag of same size and brand goes for N6,900.
Garnishing the meal
For every family, the most important part of every enticing meal is the meat. Children are the most expectant, although some adults would secretly pocket any careless meat that evades the eye of the ushers.
Saturday Sun discovered that the quantity of meat consumed during this season is double of what city dwellers consume before now.

At Mile 12 Market, Lagos, where almost all foodstuffs heading to Lagos arrives first, there has been a beehive of activities. Mama Beji Akinsola, a frozen food dealer, told Saturday Sun that in preparation for the high demand for frozen food, she imported up to 100, 000 cartons of frozen chicken and turkey, which would be sold on or before yesterday.

“I am travelling for Christmas this year; that is why I decided to order for just 100,000 cartons. From December 24, a carton of chicken will be sold for as much as N7, 500 and turkey will go for as high as N9, 000,” she revealed.

With the high cost of live chicken and turkey, frozen ones are more affordable. A healthy big turkey goes for as much as N6, 000 while the least chicken can be bought for as high as N2, 000, as against frozen chicken, which goes for N7, 000 and above, depending on the measure.
A ram seller at Gbagada, Lagos, admitted that the demand for the livestock is on the increase. On the demand or patronage, he said buyers are mainly individuals who use them as gifts.
“For this season, I have brought in about 10,000 rams from the North ready for the market. If one is lucky to get a government contractor, the season will be a story of smiles and fat returns. They buy livestock in thousands. If fact, the demand for ram this season is much more than it was during the Muslim festival because the celebration now comes in two folds – Christmas and New Year. He said that while Christians essentially celebrate Christmas, New Year is a celebration for everyone.

Checks revealed that a medium sized ram goes for as much as N30,000 at the Gbagada market, while a much bigger one goes for as much as N50, 000.
Fish remains the least patronised during the season, save for Croaker, which is expensive.

Source:sun