14/07/2008 (The Tide Online) - There has been a 15 per cent increase in the price of vegetable oil in some major towns in Delta.

A check by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Asaba showed that the price of vegetable oil increased from N3,900 to N4,500 for 20 litres in the last one week.

Some of the vegetable oil sellers, who spoke with NAN, attributed the development to the increase in the prices of raw materials.

They said that the prices of cottonseed, palm kernel, Soya beans and groundnut, which are the major sources of vegetable oil, had gone up due to their scarcity.

Mrs Success Iyere, a vegetable oil seller in Asaba, said that ‘’most of the raw materials used in producing egetable oil are off season now’’.

Iyere said that during the rainy season, these raw aterials were expensive because farmers had just planted some of them, while others were in the harvesting period.

She said that it would take some weeks for some of these raw materials to be available.

Mrs Onyeabuchi Eluaka, also a vegetable oil seller in saba, confirmed that within the last one week,the price of vegetable oil had gone up.

Eluaka also said that a 20-litre jerrycan of palm oil, which had been selling for N4,300 in the past few weeks, was now sold for N5,000.

She added that even the price of seasoning cubes had gone up, as a packet of 50 cubes, which had been selling for N280, was now sold for N300.

Meanwhile, a market survey by the Delta Ministry of conomic Planning, made available to NAN, showed that 18kg of palm oil, which had been selling for N4,800 in Asaba, now sells for N4,900.

The survey also showed that a medium-sized tuber of yam, sold for N340 in Ughelli last week, now goes for N380.

However, the prices of some foodstuffs have remained stable in the last one week in some towns.

The survey showed that a custard bucket of fresh tomatoes, which sold for N1,000 in Warri and Asaba, still sells for N1,000.

The price of ogbono still sells for N300 in Asaba and Warri.

The price stability covers commodities such as beef, Caprice and melon, which still sell for N900 for 1kg, N9,300 for one bag and N100 for a milk cup respectively.