By Amos Aar
THE PRICES of water and bread produced by the Benue Investment and Property Company Ltd (BIPC) which were commissioned on Tuesday last week alongside other products have risen barely a week after the commissioning
The BIPC bakery and water factories were established with the aim of cushioning the hardship of the citizens occasioned by high inflation in the state through sale of the products at affordable rates and creation of employment opportunities according to the managing director of the company, Dr Raymond Asemakaha.
But a day after the commissioning ceremony, there were speculations that the price of a bag of sachet water said to be two hundred naira (N200) during the event rose to three hundred naira (N300) while the price of a loaf of BIPC bread rose from N1,100 to N1,400.
The new prices were confirmed in a statement last Friday by Joyce Isiaku, the unit head, corporate communication and information, technology, BIPC.
She said: “Benue Investment and Property Company Limited (BIPC) wishes to inform the general public of the official prices for its recently launched products:
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“BIPC Loaf Bread:
“- 900g: ₦1,400
“- 800g: ₦1,100
“- 400g: ₦550
“BIP Water:
“- Sachet Water: ₦300
“- Bottle Water: ₦1,800
“- Emperor Fertilizer:
“- 50kg bag: ₦38,000
“The public is kindly requested to insist on purchasing these products at the official prices to avoid any exploitation or confusion. This notice is issued to ensure transparency and fairness in all transactions involving BIPC products.”
Meanwhile, apart from the rising prices, some people who trooped to the state-owned company to patronise its products complained about non-availability of the products.
Nguveren Tyohemba, who sells sachet water at Wurukum Market and Haruna Musa who sells tea and bread in Wadata, popularly known as Mai Shayi, among many others, complained that they could not get the products to buy when they visited the bakery and water factories.
“I don go there two times, I no see single bread to buy“, Haruna said in pidgin English.
However, when contacted to know what was the challenge, information officer of the agency, Peter Asema, attributed the scarcity of the products to “high demand”.
