Items On The Rise As Borders Remain Shut

Commodities are beginning to top one naira, two naira everyday. Anybody you ask will tell you that the Federal Government closed the borders. So, what it means is that some of the things we were enjoying at reduced prices were actually smuggled commoditie

Saturday as meat with N2,000. I could not believe it until I was told that land borders have been closed. My worry is the relationship between land borders and ordinary cow meat we produce in Nigeria. I know we don’t pay heavy taxes on this kind of item, yet the people are capitalising on it to ripoff others. But I think that since we are now generating billions from the closure, the Federal Government should find ways of ensuring that the money is ploughed back into the economy to improve standard of living,” she said.

But Chinedu Agu, who deals in frozen foods at Ogbete main market, said his business had gone down considerably since the closure of borders. According to him, “those who bring in some of the items have stopped. So, there are just few dealers that service majority of the traders we have here. When you come here at times, you find something to buy and at times, you don’t find anything to buy. We have also increased prices but that is according to what is available in the market.”

Another dealer in rice and beans said that while the price of rice has remained between N15,000 and N18,000 per bag, those of beans has continued to come down. “We now sell a ‘painter’ of beans N800 as against N1200. I don’t think that closure of border should affect this because we produce locally. The only problem is that some of our traders have capitalised on this closure to rip-off consumers. There are items that should not suffer price increase because of closure of borders. These are what we should guard against,” he said.

An educationist, Mr. Ikechukwu Ugwu, said that the Federal Government was the ultimate beneficiary of the closure of the borders. He said it would help government regulate the rate of importation as well as increase its revenue.

His words: “It would enhance decency in the way we ply our businesses to ensure that only those with genuine and approved items are allowed into the country. It will reduce this idea of saturating the economy with items that are not necessary and even substandard ones. So, I think it is in the interest of the country.” He recalled that the governor few months ago commissioned the Grand Cereal Fish Feed Production Plant at Onitsha to ensure the production of vital fish feed and consequently enhance the production of fish in the state.

Iloghalu said: “You cannot grow fish without feed, so you need a steady supply of fish feed to be able to succeed in fish production. This is going to help the Anambra people and the company because we will be able to have direct feedback and have a stable pricing of the fish feed, which at the end of the day will pay off for the farmers.”

In the area of rice production, the state has also witnessed improved production since the coming of the present administration. Recently, the governor commissioned Coscharis Rice produced by Coscharis Farms Ultra-modern Rice Limited, a subsidiary of Coscharis Group, in partnership with the state government.

Apart from Coscharis, the state also plays host to the 1997 World Bank assisted project of the Federal Government formerly known as Omor Rice Mill at Umumbo community in Ayamelum local council of the state but now called Josan Mill. It ranks as the biggest rice mill in the country but was later expanded and resuscitated under a Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement by the state government in 2010. From 30,000 metric tonnes annual capacity in the days of Omor Rice Mill, Josan has expanded to an annual production capacity of 80,000 metric tonnes of paddy rice and 50,000 metric tonnes of milled rice.

The Deputy Chief Press Secretary to governor Obiano, Emeka Ozumba, spoke with

on the development. He said: “Currently, there are eight rice processing companies with capacity for over 849 tonnes per day. They include Stine Industries, Coscharis, Joseph Agro (JOSAN), Joseph Agro (Umumbo), Udoka Mill, Wisdom Mill, Wisdom mill and RIFAN mill with others in the pipeline.

“Today, the Anambra Rice brand is a wellknown staple and one of the most sought after rice in Nigeria. It took a vision embedded in agriculture, one of the four pillars of Obiano’s economic blueprint, and galvanisation of strong private sector collaboration in 2015 to make the dream a reality. Thus from 80,000 metric tonnes cultivated by out growers across Anambra rice belts in eight local councils, the state’s consumption needs of 300,000 metric tonnes has been met and surpassed. As at 2018, Anambra is assured of over 345,280.58mt of rice paddy.”

A rice dealer who identified himself as Okonkwo from Ayamelum local council said: “The ban on imported rice has made people to begin to patronise local rice, which is said to be more nutritious.

“We do not have problem of selling rice or having it in large quantity because there is availability of local rice or what we call ‘local-foreign rice’. I sell the rice at N15,000 per bag and that has forced the price of foreign rice to fall in the state.” others, simply identified as Amarachi, told

that the ban was affecting her business, as she is faced with the risky task of buying and bringing the products from neighbouring Togo.

According to her, she is currently weighing her options in order to know the next step to take so as to satisfy her customers. Recently, the Chief Executive Officer of Norgem Nigeria Limited, a poultry farmer, Mrs. Norman Nwoga, distributed 1,000 chicks free of charge to 100 local poultry farmers selected from Ahiazu Mbaise local council of the state. Each of the beneficiaries, mostly women, received 10 chicks. They also received bags of feeds and drugs to feed and treat the birds should they develop ailments.

CATERERS in Cross River State have lamented the increase in price of rice, frozen foods and other items since the closure of borders across the country.

One of the caterers in Calabar, called Dette Assam, said the closure has hugely affected the cost of catering services.

Assam, who is also known as Ettie Finger Licky Barbecue and Cocktails, said: “The closure of the borders has actually affected a lot of things like the cost of turkey basically. We don’t produce it in Nigeria and we basically love turkey wings. Right now, turkey wings that we used to get for about N24, 000 costs between N25, 000 and N29, 000, which has resultantly jerked up the price of our services to clients.

“Now there is no rice and everybody is turning to rice but it is not even enough because the quantity they are producing does not meet the needs of Nigerians. Rice basically is a staple food in Nigeria. There is nothing we can do about it and with the kind of social life we have in Nigeria now things have really gone up. As I said, chicken is a bit cheap in Calabar. But you can’t buy fish; you can’t buy turkey. Even beef is another story because everybody is shifting to one side now. So, there is no way there won’t be inflation and the price difference is scaring.”

Speaking in the same vain, one of the popular eateries in Calabar, Eka Koko’s Restaurant, lamented the high cost of food items following the closure of the borders. The man in charge of the restaurant, who identified himself as Koko, said: “A cup of rice which sold for N100 is now N120 while a bag of rice which sold for N15, 000 to N17, 000 now costs between N20,000 to N21,000.

“You know palm oil used to come from Cameroon. But now everything has become expensive because the borders are closed and it is affecting the business. Even the price of stockfish that we buy in bags has also increased. Before we buy a bag of stockfish for N60, 000 but now it costs between N65, 000 and N70, 000. Even Afang vegetable is now very expensive.”

THE prices of the food items in Kebbi State have risen by at least 40 per cent following the closer of borders by the Federal Government.

When visited Kamba, Dole Kaina, Lolo borders area and Birnin Kebbi Central Market, some traders lamented the increase in the price of the food items such as rice, millet, sugar, provisions and beverages.

Mallam Umar U. Kamaba told that since the closer of the borders, the price of a bag of rice in Kamba, a border area has risen from N11,000 to N15,000 while in Birnin Kebbi Central Market, the price has gone up from N12,000 to N17,000.

A retailer in the central market in Birnin Kebbi, who identified himself as Alhaji Hassan, appealed to the Federal

Government to reopen the borders in order to bring down the prices of goods and services in the country.

He expressed dismay that some indigenous companies also increased the prices of their products, saying: “Just look at the Labana Rice Mills in Birnin Kebbi which is an indigenous company, it has also increased the price of its rice.

“We want people to understand that things are not easy for the people now and our elite are not helping the masses. The Federal Government should please reconsider the closure in order to reduce the sufferings of the masses.”