Low Patronage: Supermarts, Food Stores Shun Noodles, Embrace Spaghetti

Nigerians are known for their addictive nature to items that come with ease, which is usually called ‘awoof’ in pidgin.

The introduction of noodles in Nigeria made many abandon the likes of spaghetti and macaroni, which was less patronised then.

However, in the early 2020s, the prices of almost everything in the market increased, due to the after-effect of the outbreak of Covid-19.

As Nigerians struggled to survive, the Naira plummeted, following a continuous rise in inflation, which dealt with the price and quantity of noodles highly cherished by mostly children, and adults.

Many households saw this change and introduced spaghetti to their meal tables, whose price has also increased from N200 to N900 per pack, but the quantity remains the same.

Seeing the drop in patronage, some noodles-producing companies reduced their prices to encourage patronage, but we all know Nigerians for who they are.

Once they are accustomed to new and cheaper ways of life, they forget the old ways.

Economy&Lifestyle discovered that seeing this massive decline in patronage of noodles, most supermarkets and stores have stopped displaying noodles on their shelves.

Mrs. Doris Iduzogie, a wholesale noodles seller said: “Since the increments in the price of noodles, people have moved to spaghetti.

“Many complained of the quantity which also reduced as the price increased.

“Before I buy up to 500 cartons of different brands of noodles which I sell off in a week.

“But now, I hardly sell up to 100 cartons in a week.

Seeing this, I reduced the quantity of my purchase to 300 cartons to avoid losses due to the expiration of the products.”

Mr. George Uweni, a manager of a supermarket, said: “The last time we stocked noodles, we nearly ran into a loss.

“We recorded no sales in a week. It was surprising.

“All the customers were purchasing spaghetti and macaroni, whose sales were higher than we had ever recorded in the four years I have been here.