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….dealers insists on dictating costs, not govt committees
Citizens have cried out over continued rise in the cost of common perishable and preservable food items across various markets in Niger state.
This is coming barely few months after the state government inaugurated prize control committee to check excesses of foodstuff merchants and middlemen whose activities is adding to the rise in cost of not not only food items but goods and services from the farms to the end users.
Daily Independent newspapers findings indicate that, the least in quality of standard mudu of local rice and Beans (containing ten milk cups) is N2, 800 and N2, 900 the commonest of all, Garri is now N1, 500 while brown Beans of the same measure has simply skyrocketed beyond the reach of most families, over 100 percent rise than before the current economic crisis.
A mudu of Maize (coloured), millet, Guinea corn is between N1, 600 and N1, 800 while the white coloured ones is about N100 and N200 less, coming barely 30 days to Christmas.
Also, N50 the fourth least denomination is fast becoming valueless as the cost of virtually everything within the range including local seasonings like; dadawa, iru, ogiri, pepper and related condiments can only be bought with N100 and above.
Egg is almost N250 per one within Minna metropolis and environs while animal protein sources like beef and fish of all kinds have disappeared from the menu of most families because the price have gone beyond their reach.
A bottle of original groundnut (kulikuli) oil is N4, 200, and vegetable oil depending on the brand is N3, 500 and above while red oil is also within same range across most of markets visited by our correspondent, the worst compared to previous years.
Meanwhile, unconfirmed the truth or otherwise of claims that the prize control committee set up by the state government could not work because merchants/dealers insisted that the state government has no powers to dictate for them.
Reacting to the setting up of a prize control team by the state government, Mallam Salisu Mai’rogo, a farmer cum businessman said it is not possible for the state government to dictate how much they will sell their produce when they (government) didn’t contribute to easing their sweating during cropping season.
Salisu, a farmer who also deals on different types of grains told our correspondent how he and some of his partners tried without success to get fertilizer and other farming aids from government sources.
State government was dealing with ‘political’ farmers, not real farmers in the real sense, adding that, “They brought fertilizer and sold to themselves and their supporters at 50 percent discount, now they want to come and tell us how much to sell our goods, I don’t that is going to be possible”.
While accusing the government of politicizing sales of fertilizer and other farming inputs, and now trying to arm twist them in the name of fighting for the hungry masses, Salisu argued that farmers are facing daunting challenges, including insecurity and flooding which he said caused unprecedented rise in cost of food production.
“Farmers are facing herculean challenges, cultivating, planting, weeding and all these you pay. Sometimes after all the spending they will steal everything from the farm, and you will be left with nothing to fall back on”.
