Last weekend, I was in the Mararaba area of Nasarawa State, on the suburbs of Abuja, to visit a family and as I drove on the street by the market, the green vegetables on display were too fresh to resist. I made up my mind to get some on my way back. I had already decided what to make with it – smoked mackerel (Titus) sauce with vegetables.
So, on the return trip, I stopped by the market and by my calculation, two pieces of smoked Titus would cost about N1000 and that was going to be enough for what I planned to make.
I got a shocker when I approached one of the women and pointed to a medium-sized rolled fish, indicating that was what I wanted.
“Anty this one is N1,000 each. This other one (pointing to a bigger size) is N1200.”
The fish were mounted one on the other, in sets of three each and I sought to know if that was the price for all. The woman simply said “Anty Titus cost now, no be everybody de eat am. We have Shawa and that one is N150 each.”
I should have been offended that I was categorised among those who cannot afford Titus but I smiled it away, knowing how much I had in my purse. It was no time for any form of braggadocio.
I may have eaten it without knowing, but I had never heard of or bought Shawa before, but after assuring me it was tasty as well, I decided to go for it. The woman was kind enough to alert me about what to expect. “E sweet but e get plenty bones. This one wey don dry small so, the bone no de hard to comot again. If you just open am for centre, you go pick out the bones.”
I thanked her profusely for the advice and bought three pieces of Shawa at N450 and was left with a balance of N550 from my initial budget for fish.
I must confess that I enjoyed the Shawa, bones and all, when I made the sauce. There and then, I became a convert.
This realisation has given rise to a Kitchen Adjustment Programme (KAP) in my household, which I am recommending to everyone, if we must survive the high cost of foods we are faced with in the country.
The country is witnessing its worst inflation in four years. In February this year, inflation reached a four-year peak, with prices of food items rising more than 20 per cent.
Double digit inflation since 2016, reached 17.33 per cent in February and was attributed to the impact of the COVID19 pandemic and attendant drop in the price of oil, which is the country’s main export, all of which have contributed to weakening the naira.
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said food prices, which make up the bulk of the inflation basket, rose 21.79 per cent in February, a jump of 1.22 per cent in January.
The impact of this inflation on you and I is the increase in the prices of staple foods. A loaf of bread now costs between N600 and N700, depending on the brand, from between N400 and N500 it was at the beginning of the year.
One kilogram of frozen turkey is now N2500 from between N1500 and N1800, a kilogram of fresh Mackerel is now N2500 from N1800, a crate of eggs is now between N1400 and N1600, depending on the size, from N1000 to N1200, while a single egg is retailed for N80. From N2800, 5ltrs of vegetable oil is now N5000, a kilogram of frozen chicken is N2000
A 10 kilogram pack of semovita is now N4300 and the price of a pack of sachet water now ranges from N180 to N250. A 450g pack of Quaker oats is now N1250 from N640 a few months ago, a kilogram of beef is now N2500 from between N1800 and N2000, a mudu of beans is N600, a 3.5kg measure of garri is between N900 and N1200, depending on the quality, a pack of spaghetti is now N300, a mudu of rice is N900 and even Tom Tom that was N10 a piece is now N50 for 3 pieces.
This rising price of foods is adding to the financial pressure already being faced by households, many members of whom have lost their sources of livelihood. This is even as many states are yet to begin payment of the N30,000 national minimum wage, even as it is obvious that no single individual can survive on N30,000 a month, all bills inclusive.
The other day, while going through Facebook posts, I saw a comment by someone who wrote that: “Public Service Announcement: If your wife has gone to the market, switch off your phone or do not pick if she calls because if you do, you will send more money.”
The insecurity in the country, which has made it difficult for many farmers to access their farms, coupled with poor fiscal management have conspired to ensure that food prices remain out of control.
The way I see it, in abnormal times like this, it is abnormal to continue to live normally. Adjustments must be made here and there to keep one’s head above water.
As for me and my house, we now eat Shawa in place of Mackerel, cow hide (Pomo) for meat, eggs in place of chicken or turkey, locally processed cereals like Veda Grainnuts in place of Quaker Oats, mixed corn and cassava meal in place of semovita. We now eat vegetables with every meal to get acquainted with them, in the event that things do not get better and we decide to dump all forms of animal protein and go vegan.
We are all actively watching our weight so its two meals (1-0-1) now instead of three. After all, the concept of three square meals has always been a hoax. There is no three-sided square anywhere.
This is a summary of our Kitchen Adjustment Plan (KAP).
