Prices of staple food have been on the increase in major markets in Bauchi and some northern states as governments lockdown their borders, shutdown businesses and impose full or partial restriction of peoples’ movement.
WikkiTimes’ Investigation in Bauchi and two other northern states of Jigawa and Gombe revealed that staple food items such as rice, beans, yam and millet have all recorded increase in their prices by between 20 and 30% in the last 3 weeks.
On the other hand, prices of perishable commodities like tomatoes, pepper and onion remain relatively stable, but sales have dropped by about 50% thereby negatively affecting the economy of farmers of these commodities in rural areas.
On daily basis, officials at the popular Muda Lawal market evacuate dozens of baskets of decayed/wasted tomatoes due to lack of buyers and inability to transport it to southern states, following dramatic increase in transport fare.
The popular KasuwarSauki market (moderately priced) where staple food items are sold sits on Tina junction along Kobi street in Bauchi metropolis.
The market, though by street sides is a popular destination for families, where they buy basic food items at relatively cheap rate, compared to what is obtained in other conventional markets such as Muda Lawal, Wunti and SabuwarKasuwar Railway. However, even this popular junction which attracts customers from all over Bauchi metropolis is now a shadow of its former self, as prices of the food items sold there are now at par with the conventional markets. The marketers who source the materials from Adamawa, Taraba, Jigawa states and some parts of Bauchi state (Dass) now complain of low patronage and lesser profit, following increase in the prices of the commodity at source.
Chairman of the marketers Murtala Yakubu Lazy said there is now an increase of N60 upward on every measure of the four different brands of rice (Jamila, Faro, Mass and Yar China)sold in the market.
Lazy claimed that a bag of Faro rice sourced from Adamawa and Taraba states has now recorded about N10,000 increase in the last three weeks from N28,000 to N39,000.
“For instance, a measure of Jamila rice was around N380, but it is now sold at N500 because even at the source we buy the measure around N450” says Lazy.
At yam section of Muda Lawal Market, one of the marketers Lukman Abubakar said there is an increase of between N10,000 and N15,000 on every 100 tubers (called Kwarya). “You see 90% of the yam we consume here in Bauchi state comes from Plateau state. When you go to these places now, even with your money you cannot get the quantity you want because the farmers have been frightened by this Corona issue and had now reduced the volume of the commodity supplied to the open market” claims Lukman.
Gombe state
A grains seller at Jeka da Fari Market in Gombe metropolis Suleiman Ibrahim said prices of food items in the market have increased dramatically in the last three weeks following closure of some state borders and how major suppliers cash into the situation to make money.
Suleiman claimed that there is now an increase of about 30% on the prices of bags of Maize, Millet, Guinea Corn and Beans, translating into an increase of between N2,000 and N3,500.
He explained that a bag of maize which was sold at the average cost of N8,500 some 3 weeks back, now goes for N11,000. A bag of Millet is now up from N8,000 to N11,500, while a 100kg bag of locally produced rice (produced within Gombe state) with an average of 80 measures is up by about N6,000 from N27,000 to N33,000.
The increase according to him is usually born by average consumer, who will have increase between N50 and N100 to buy a measure of the food items. Citing example with beans, Suleiman said a measure is now sold at N220 up from N150 some weeks backs. A measure of average local rice according to him is now sold at N450 as against N350 before the Corona pandemic.
“Our fear is more on beans, because it is becoming difficult to get now in the markets. Initially, we used to get it in Nasarawa from villagers, but now they hardly bring it into town” lamented Suleiman in telephone chart.
Jigawa state
In Sara Grains Market of Gwaram local government area of Jigawa state, a bag of Paddy rice which sold at N12,000 before the pandemic is now selling at N14, 500. A bag of 100kg Millet now rose by N2,000 from N11,500 to N13, 500.MuazuIsma’il who buys and sells in the market says, authorities in Jigawa state have closed it down, and therefore sourcing the commodities has now become a herculean task. Muazu claimed that “this is a market which receives goods from as far as Adamawa, Taraba and Gombe states and from here we send these food items to states all over the country. Therefore, not only are the prices of these commodities increasing, sourcing them has also become very difficult as people no longer bring them here, due to closure of the market”.
Perishable goods
It is also not the best of times for farmers and dealers of perishable goods including tomatoes, pepper and onion across Bauchi state, where it is currently the peak of harvest season.
Sales of these commodities have dropped by 50%, thereby negatively affecting unsuspecting farmers in rural areas who hope to rip from their investment. Investigation by WikkiTimes revealed that the problem was caused by inability of dealers to evacuate these products to particularly southern states due to high cost of transportation and delays in reaching their destinations. Dealers can no longer transport tomatoes to southern states as the fare has increased by almost 200% in the last 3 weeks, from N120,000 to N300,000. The downturn affected tomatoes farmers more adversely who keep on pushing the commodity to markets with little buyers to evacuate them.
The situation at Kasuwar Yan Gwari (Muda Lawal Market) which is the biggest perishable goods market in the state is that of lamentation and loss, as tomatoes in particular decayed easily due to lack of buyers and hot weather.
Sales of tomatoes and pepper have dropped by about 50%.
A dealer in the market SirajoLanjo told this medium that on daily basis, about 50 baskets of tomatoes are decaying due to low patronage. Lanjo said before the Covid 19 crisis, up to 2000 baskets of tomatoes are and 1500 bags of pepper are being brought from farms across the state and sold within 24hrs. This figure according to him has now dropped to a little above 400 baskets and 180 bags of pepper per day, a situation he said has crashed the prices of the commodities and put the farmers at a disadvantaged position. He said a basket of grade a tomatoes (UTC) now sells between N2,500 and N3,000. “When the tomatoes are brought in from farms, that very day you can sell it at around N3,000. However, by the time it stays here for 24hrs, the price crashed to less than N2,000 and the price keeps on depreciating until it becomes waste. Every day we evacuate more than 30 baskets wasted or decayed tomatoes out of this market. I really pity the farmers”.
WikkiTimes learnt that, tomatoes farmers are particularly hit hard because the highest a bus could transport to the southern states is 45 baskets, as against 120 bags of pepper. This made it impossible for the dealers to evacuate it to southern states, due to high cost of transportation.
“If you pay N300,000 for 45 baskets of tomatoes to Lagos tell me how much are you going to sell it there?” Asked Lanjo.
Tomatoes marketers now rely on petroleum tanker drivers who transport a basket to Lagos at about N1,000, which is hard to come. “Sometimes we spend up to 6 days without getting a tanker that will carry the tomatoes to Lagos or Port Harcourt. So, that is why there is a lot of wastage here because the people here cannot consume what is being produced at the moment”, says Lanjo.
This report written by Nura Bashir was facilitated by Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) under its Covid-19 Reality Check Project
