Traders Reveal Cause Of High Cost Of Food Items In Nigeria

Traders at Ose Okwodu Market in Onitsha have attributed the surging prices of food items in Nigeria to the ongoing insecurity issues plaguing the country.

Eko Hot Blog reports that this revelation was made during a visit by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Council (FCCPC) on Thursday,

The agency’s visit was aimed at investigating the reasons behind the rising costs.

Speaking on behalf of the chairman of Ose Okwodu Market Traders Union, Mr. Ikechukwu Umeanozie, the union’s secretary, Mr. Onyejekwe Cyprian, highlighted the critical role of the market in supplying food to Anambra State and neighboring regions.

Despite this, the market has seen a dramatic increase in food prices, making it difficult for consumers to afford basic necessities.

He attributed this to insecurity, saying that farmers now fear to go to their farms to cultivate crops, and even when they do, they are either abducted when moving crops to urban places to sell, or when coming back.

“These days, traders now go to rural places because farmers who manage to harvest crops fear to transport them by road for fear of kidnapping.

“Now it is the traders that are suffering because we go to them. Most consumables in Nigeria come down here to this market which serves as a distribution point.

“We receive supplies from from all over the country, three times every week. Yams from Benue, grains from Niger, Adamawa and other state, potatoes from diverse places, fish from parts of Anambra here, but today, how many times do supplies come?

“Sometimes, farmers call traders on the phone and tell them there may not be supplies in the near future, that bandits were terrorizing them. In that way, the trader who knows he will not get stock will hike the price of the available ones.

“If government can do something about insecurity, I’m sure farmers will return to farm and traders will not be afraid to transport their good back for sale.” he concluded

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