#StreetsOfLagos: See How Much Can Be Made From Selling Tomatoes, Pepper In Lagos

AllNews Media visited Amisu Salisu, a vegetable vendor in his makeshift store at the Alakuko Market, Lagos on Thursday, July 15, 2021.

The 30-year-old, an Indigene of Kano State was happy to share some details about his personal life and business.

This young man, the first of three children born to his parents, moved to Lagos as a teenager and has been making a living selling variety of vegetables. He sells mainly tomatoes, different types of pepper, onions, and lemons.

How the business started

Narrating how he started his business, Amisu -- who had no formal education beyond the primary school level but can use basic English Language, fluent Hausa Language and a bit of the Yoruba Language -- spoke with AllNews.ng in mixed Hausa and English languages.

He moved to Lagos in 2009, and between then and 2019, he worked with two traders at the popular 'Mile 12 Market' in Lagos. With one of the traders, he sold tomatoes, fresh and dried pepper, and onions while with the other one, he sold fried rice ingredients and cabbage.

"When I left them, I went back home and stayed for two months. Then I came back to Lagos and started my own business," Amisu, who hails from Karaye Local Government Area of Kano State said.

How it is going

Amisu moved to Alakuko in 2019 after returning to Lagos from a two-month break in Kano State. He said he started his own business of selling tomatoes, pepper, and onion with about N20,000 to N25,000.

"Things are now expensive and only a basket of tomatoes costs over N20,000, a basket of pepper is N17,000," he said.

Amisu revealed that he pays N2000 for the space he uses at the market. "I also pay a daily ticket fee of N50," he added.

Daily profit

Amisu holds that business is better in Lagos compared to what is obtainable where he came from. He however added that the current inflation has reduced his regular profit.

"If you are able to sell about N50,000 worth of ingredients daily, you can make at least N5000," Amisu who plans to get married next year explains. "Before the inflation, the daily profit could be as much as N20,000."

"The problem is that the goods are expensive, and that is why the profit has reduced," the vendor added.

When asked if he would be traveling home for the salah celebration, Amisu responded that money must be made and would only go home afterward.

Challenges

Speaking about the challenges that come with the business, he said; "We have problems with customers now that things have become expensive.

In addition to his current business as a pepper vendor in Lagos, Amisu has a maize farm in his village. According to him, his younger brother is over there and available to oversee and manage the farm.

His advice to the young and unemployed is to look for a legitimate hustle. He added that it is better for them to be engaged in his kind of business than to be idle or engaged in criminal activities.