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Claim: An X user shared a video that shows baskets of tomatoes currently selling at an exorbitant retail price compared to the allegedly low wholesale prices they were bought for.
Verdict: Misleading! The video posted by the X user is an old video that has existed since 2022. Reports from reputable media outlets show that the current price for a basket of tomatoes ranges from N80,000 to N100,000 and above, depending on the state.
Full Text
Since President Tinubu removed the fuel subsidy, the country has experienced a surge in the prices of goods, especially food items, moving to unprecedented levels. This decision has led Nigeria to experience the highest inflation rate in over 18 years.
In reaction to the spike in the price of food items, an X user, Idris Allahumma Inni (@alomajay), posted a video showing baskets of tomatoes, implying that the tomatoes are sold at prohibitive prices in places like Mile 12 in Lagos State.
The 44-second video was shared on Thursday, June 27, 2024, at about 2:05 PM. The caption that follows the video reads, “Nigerians, enem(ies) of their country.”
The footage has garnered about 131,000 views, 622 likes, 471 reposts, 195 bookmarks, and quoted 35 times as of Saturday, June 29, 2024.
In the comment section, many users attributed the surge in tomato prices to transportation costs, while others questioned the video’s authenticity.
“Oga, have you factored (the)cost of transportation and also Levies they pay at mile 12?…” @joyiscoming101 queried.
Another user, @adeayocare, said, “Gover(n)ment levies, high cost of transportation, high interest rates, etc are some of the reasons for high retail price(s).”
“This (is an) old video; make una continue dey lie.”@jeff09167 asserted. This means that this is an old video, so stop lying.
Because of controversial comments and the sensitive nature of the post, DUBAWA decided to verify the authenticity of the video clip.
Verification
DUBAWA subjected the video clip to a Google reverse image search. The result shows a Facebook video posted on Aug. 20, 2022, bearing a similar narrative to the one posted by the X user.
We also came across a similar video posted by an X user here.
In the Facebook video, a young man is seen pointing to the baskets of tomatoes on the ground. Speaking in Yoruba, he criticises tomato sellers for charging exorbitant prices in the market despite purchasing the tomatoes at a cheaper price.
“If they come to the north, they will buy the baskets for about 3,500 or 4,000 and resell them for 8,000, 10,000, and even sometimes 14,000,” he said.
We conducted a keyword search and checked through media reports to know the recent prices of tomatoes in Mile 12 Lagos. We came across a Punch report published on Jun. 12, 2024, on the skyrocketing prices of tomatoes and peppers.
According to the report, a survey carried out by the News Agency of Nigeria in major markets, including Mile 12, shows that the price of a 50-kilogram tomato stands at N100,000, up from N35,000 in 2023.
Furthermore, we sourced the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) to get the latest data on tomato prices in the market. The data shows that the price of 1kg of tomatoes rose from N498.34 in May 2023 to N1,479.69 in May 2024. That means a 50kg basket of tomatoes is sold at N73,984.
Conclusion
The video is not recent, as claimed by the user. Our findings show that the prices of a basket of tomatoes stated in the video do not align with the current prices of a basket of tomatoes. Therefore, the video clip is misleading.
